Monaco and Monte Carlo

h:!*:."^:*?

Ex Libris
C. K. OGDEN

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

STK. DKVOTi;

MONACO

AND

MONTE CARLO

BY

ADOLPHE SMITH

With Eight Reproductions in Colour from Drawings

by Charles Maresco Pearce, and with

Forty-eight Illustrations in

Black and White

%

LONDON
GRANT RICHARDS LTD.

PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT CO.
MDCCCCXII

rKINTED BV THB RIVERSIDE PRESS LIMITED
EDINBURGH

^rn

PREFACE

To describe the economic, social mid political condi-
tions of a count 7- If, the good ivill and assistance of the
authorities responsible for its govej-nment must be secu?-ed.

Fortunately, a lifelong accjuaintance xvith the Principality
of Monaco has placed me in a favourable position. So far
back as 1882, I tvas xvell knoivn to the officicds as colla-
borating zvith the late Doctor Pickering, in wnting and
publishing a small book entitled " 3Ionaco, the Beauty Spot
of the Riviera." Sidjsequently I was deputed to investigate
various epidemics on the Riviera, notably the cholera epi-
demics of 188 Jt, 1885 and 1893. The energetic denunciations
and scie?itific reports I then contribiited to The Lancet,
describing the insanitary conditions prevcdling at the so-
called health resorts, contributed in no small mcas^ire to
bring about the notable improvements now realised along
the whole Rivie7'a, and especially at Monaco. More recently,
dwing the Conference of the Internationcd Association of
tlie Medical Press, which met at Monaco in 1902, I was
appointed spokesman of the eight ?iationalities ?-ep?'esented.
hi the name of the leading medical journals published by
tlie principal nations of Eiirope, I had to address his
Serene Highness, Piincc Albert /., and explained that
we were doubly honoured. We were honoured by the regal
reception and bounteous hospitality accorded to us by his
Highness as Pi-ince of Monaco. But there was a 7nore
intimate link. We attached still greater value to the p?ivi-
lege of being the guests of a man of science who had
rendered the world sei'vice by his original I'esearch and
discoveries.

In tlie same year I acted as interpretei- from French
5

6 PREFACE

into JEnglish and from English into French of all the
speeches delivered at tlie Internatio?ial Peace Co7igress,
likeivise held i?i Monaco. This again brought me into per-
sonal contact with the reigning Prince. Finally, I am also
indebted to the friendly suppoi't given me by Professor
Charles Richet of the Pa?is Academy of Medicine. Professor
Richet accompanied the Prince on one of his deep-sea
exploiting expeditions, and is a feUow-ivoj-ker in the Inter-
national Peace 3£ovement to xvhich Prince Albert is
so earnestly attached. Such, I presume, are the principal
reasons xvhich account for the gracious reception accorded
to me at the Court of Monaco, and for the fact that every
assistance has been tendered me to facilitate the accomplish-
ment of my task.

During a long audience with the Prince, I endeavotired
to explain that the book I pi'oposed to zcrite would
deal partly with past history, but more especially with
moderri problems. These comprised many economic, social,
political and psychological subjects. Then there were the
arts and sciences tliat could be studied with special advantage
in the principality. In conclusion I inquired whether his
Highness could recommend some similar work. To my
surprise, and ivithout a momenfs hesitation. Prince Albert
7'eplied that there ivas no such book in existence. There were
some excellent ivorks, each dealing tcith one special subject,
such as that writteti by the historian, Gustave Saige, on
"Monaco: Its Origins and History." There xvere the
reports and books on the anthropological researches and
oceanographic explorations made by, or under the direct
supei'vision of, the Prince himself. But neither in French
nor any other language had any general book on Monaco
been published.

A fetv days later I ivas convei'sing with Mr Fredeiic
Jf^cht, the General Director of the Casino, and I put to
him exactly the same question ; only to recdre precisely the
same reply. Such a work as I proposed, though much needed,
had never been attempted. There xvere doubtless hundreds,
indeed thousands, of books and pamphlets on Monaco or

PREFACE 7

Monte Carlo. Some of these were obvious advertisements,
others meirhj pocket guides \ but the majority xvere scurrilous
sensational publications issued in the hope of extorting
blackmail. A. serious study of the many problems at issue,
nrittefi impartially, had not seen the light of day. If I felt
the strength to grapple xvith such a variety of subjects the
Directoi's of the Camio, as well as the Government, would
put at my disposal every facility.

What this meant no one can well imagine till taught
by experience. To liave access to headquarters for all
the information needed is indeed a great advantage and
privilege ; but who could foresee that in so small a princi-
pality there would be so many headquarters ? Each of these
departments has its technical chief, tvho naturally imagines
that those who call upon him knotv something about his
technique. My long experience as an investigator of all
matters concerning the public health of many nations in
Europe, Africa and America had fortunately rendered
me familiar with numerous technical problems of local
government, but at Monaco some of the subjects tvere of
necessity quite new. On these occasions, I had to confess
my ignorance and plead for patience and kindness so that
I might be allozved to learn. On the high rock of 3Ionaco
we have the sciences, notably Oceanography and Anthro-
pology. Mostly on the loxvcr levels and down by the Conda-
mine there are industries, such as art pottery, panification,
h-ewijig, the building of the port and its groimng trade, the
gas-works, the market, the scent distillery, etc. Finally, at
Monte Carlo we luive a haven for the fine aiis, especially
those connected with music and the stage. Throughout
fio?iculture and horticulture receive the most lavish and
scientific attention. Every one of these {and many other)
forms of activity has its fully qualified technical chief, ready
to give forth a wonderful account of hoiv his experience
has been enriched by the munificent manner in which his
special pursuit is encouraged and developed. In other
countries, insufficient financial resources, the difficulty of
making ends meet, cripple the xvork, and check the happy

8 PREFACE

results that only need sufficient encouragement to hid forth
triumphantly.

Here, on the contrary, is a small principality where, pro-
portio7iately speaking, more money is spetit on local govei'n-
ment, on public tt'0?"/is, on the promotion of original research,
on the arts and sciences, than is the case in any other part
of the tvorld. This will appear the more remarkable vchen it
is noted that it has all been done without awakening irate
taxpayers or leading to the creation of a Ratepayer's'
Protective League. The fact is that the principality has
applied tvith such remar-kable success the principle q/
" taxing the foreigner " that there is no necessity for any
home tax xmatsoever. It is true that indirect taxation is
maintained : customs duties on tobacco, matches and stamps,
exactly as in France. But this is not done for the sake of
the revenue resulting, xvhich after all amounts only to the
comparatively insignificant sum of 700,000 francs. Its sole
object is to prevent Monaco becoming to France what
Gibraltar has been to Spain — namely, a great smuggling
centre.

With the exception, then, of the small sum derived from
indirect taxation, the vast revenues of the principcdity are
obtained solely from the foreigner and the alien. Nw is
there any compulsion about this very convenient form of
taxation. On the conti'ary, not ordy are none cdlozved to
contribute imless they pr'ove, xvith papers and passports in
hand, that they are foreigners, but, it is at least the theory
that if they are poor and cannot afford it, even though they
are foreigners their contribution is not accepted.

No history of the principality would be complete tvithout
a very full and carefully .studied account of the organisation
of the casino and its gaming-tables, xvher'e,from all parts
of the world, millions of people come and voluntarily risk
their money. That they thus without murmur or question
defray cdl the cost of local government, the cost of the
festivals, concer'ts, performances, balls, sports, etc., organised
by the casino, and further yield fat dividends to the share-
holder's is a social, economical and psychological phenomenon

PREFACE 9

of the most far-reaching significance and of absorbing
interest.

What is this fascinating game, erroneously attributed to
a priest, the great mathematician, Pascal ? What particle of
trtith is there in all the wild stoiies related ? What about the
ijifallible systems, tvhich somehow are mainly infallible only
in the regularity with which they prove failures 1 To judge
of these things it is necessary to examine into the details
xiery minutely. It tvas only when I was introduced into the
gaming saloons before they were opened to the public,
witne.'ssed hoio the four different functionaries appointed
inspected and tested each table, when I was permitted to lift
the wheel off', and see its internal structure, and make some
few eocperiments with my own hands, that I realised hoiv
little foundation there is for the stories told about playing
to defects, and controlling the results. Absolute honesty,
combined with all the precision of a scientific instrument,
explains the constant influx of speculators ready to risk their
money inhere they knoiv exactly ivhat prospect of winning
is before them. If so many lose, it is because so few a?-e
content with a moderate gain : and here also we have an
observatory for the contemplation of human weakness and
overreaching avarice. This is often accompanied by the
most extraordinary, and at times very amusing, develop-
ments of absolutely unreasoning superstitions. On the other
hand, mathematicians of great distinction have burned the
midnight oil to study the laivs of chance as illust7-ated by
the records of the roulette-table.

It would be dull work to convert this preface into a
catalogue of the subjects treated i7i the present volume. My
only object is to explain hoiv I have been able to collect the
information, and wliat, on broad lines, is the scope of the
book. The great variety of important and insti'uctive
problems opened out will, I ti-ust, awaken interest in the
principality. The reader will realise that this little state
has served as a laboratory where practical legislative and
other experiments have been, and are being, made, that serve
as educational demonstrations for the benefit of many

10 PREFACE

nations. Then the chief of the state also enjoys exceptional
opportunities of rendering humanity inestimable service.
It is well knoicn that Prince Albert I. has availed
himself of his privileged position ; and on more than one
occasion his unofficial and friendly intervention has con-
tributed, at very critical moments, to preserve the peace
of Europe.

The little principality is thus not me?'ely the 7nost popular
pleasure resort of Europe, but a laboratory where some of
the greatest problems of the day are studied a?id oiiginal
research carried forward tinder very favourable con-
ditiojis. This double part ?night be defined as — Monaco for
pacific diplomacy , for scientific research arid for humanitarian
endeavours ; Monte Carh for art, beauty, luxury, pleasure,
extravagance and folly : such is the dual life, the dual aspect
of the principality. The least worthy side is the best-known
to the public at la?ge. The object of this wo?k is to make
both aspects equally familiar.

ADOLPHE SMITH.

CONTENTS

PART I

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE MYTHOLOGY OF MONACO ... 19

n. THE EARLY HISTORY OF MONACO ... 34

in. THE PRINCES OF MONACO IN THE WARS AGAINST

ENGLAND ..... 49

IV. MONACO TILL THE END OF THE SPANISH DOMINATION 67
V. MONACO FROM RICHELIEU TO THE FRENCH REVOLU-
TION ...... 81

VI. MONACO DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD . 95

Vn. THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION . . . 113

Vm. THE REVENUE OF THE PRINCE AND THE PRINCIPALITY 123

IX. THE PRINCIPLES AND POLICY OF THE PRINCE . 132

X. THE ACTION OF PRINCE ALBERT I. IN THE PRESERVA-
TION OF EUROPEAN PEACE . . . 140

XI. BUILDING UP THE NEW SCIENCE OF OCEANOGRAPHY 154

Xn. INAUGURATION OF THE OCEANOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

AND INSTITUTE .... 168

Xm. THE OCEANOGRAPHIC MUSEUM . . .183

XIV. ANTHROPOLOGY : PRIMITIVE MAN IN THE PRIN-
CIPALITY ..... 202

XV. THE ARCHIVES ; THE PEACE INSTITUTE ; THE PALACE

AND THE LAWS ..... 213

11

12

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

XVI. THE TRADES, INDUSTRIES AND NEW CONSTITUTION
XVn. THE POLICE .....

XVm. MONACO, MEDICAL AND SANITARY .

PART II

I. THE ORIGIN OF ROULETTE .

II. GAMBLING IN ENGLAND

ra. HOMBURG THE CRADLE OF MONTE CARLO

IV. EARLY HISTORY OF THE CASINO

V. CHARLES GARNIER AND THE MONTE CARLO THEATRE

VI. PHENOMENAL EXPANSION OF THE CASINO

Vn. CASINO MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL

Vin. THE CASINO AND ITS EMPLOYEES .

rx. BEHIND THE SCENES AT ROULETTE

X. THE CASINO CROWD

XI. SOME NOTABLE PLAYERS .

Xn. THE SUICIDES

Xrn. THE CASINO GARDENS

XIV. MONTE CARLO OPERA, ORCHESTRA AND STAGE
SCENERY

XV. THE SPORTS . . .

XVt. THE SUPERSTITIONS OF GAMBLERS

CONCLUSION

INDEX ....

PAGE

222
235
244

257
269
281
298
309
322
334
345
356
371
382
393
407

423
438

448
463
467

I

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

IN COLOUR

ST DEVOTE

KOQUEBRUNE ....

AN OLD STREET IN MONTE CARLO

MONACO TOWN AND ROCK

THE EXTREMITY OF THE MONACO ROCK

MONTE CARLO AND MONACO FROM THE MENTONE
ROAD .....

THE CONDAMINE, MONACO HARBOUR AND THE
PALACE .....

MONTE CARLO FROM THE WEST

Frontispiece

Facing page 106

110

124

248

304

336
352

m BLACK AND WHITE
PART I

LETTER FROM OLIVER CROMWELL

MONACO IN THE EARLY PART OF THE
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

VILLA COLOMBE : EARLY STRUCTURES, ABOUT
1870, AT MONTE CARLO

THE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE IN PARIS
THE NEOLTTHODES GRIMALDI

13

84

88

118
156
176

184

14 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

THE GORGONOCEPHALUS AGASSIZI . . Focing fOgC 186

THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL MUSEUM . . „ 206

NORTHERN TYPE OF GLANT . . . „ 208

THE CAVERNE DU PRINCE . . . „ 210

PREHISTORIC PAINTING IN THE ALTAMIRA

CAVERN ...... 212

THE ANCIENT PALACE OF THE GRIMALDIS • „ 216

THE PRINCE TELLS THE PRESIDENT ONE OF HIS „

BEST JOKESJ . . . . „ 218

LIEUTENANT BOURSE TAKES A COLOUR PHOTO-
GRAPH OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE
FRENCH REPUBLIC . . . . „ 220

THE TETE DE CHIEN MOUNTAIN, THE PRINCe's

PALACE AND THE CONDAMINE . . . „ 224

FONTVIEILLE, THE INDUSTRIAL QUARTER . „ 226

CROWD AT THE CAFil DE PARIS IN MIDWINTER . „ 242

MIDWINTER SUN BATH ON THE CASINO

TERRACE ...... 244

THE VILLA ALBERT, FOR PAYING PATIENTS, AT

THE MONACO HOSPITAL . . . „ 252

PART II

GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA AT THE HOMBURG

ROULETTE ...... 292

CROUPIERS AT MONACO WATCHING FOR THE

ARRIVAL OF PLAYERS . . . „ 300

THE FIRST CASINO AT MONTE CARLO : NORTHERN

ASPECT IN THE SIXTIES . . . „ 806

THE CASINO UP TO 1878 : SOUTHERN ASPECT,

FACING THE SEA . . . . ,, 308

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 15

THE MOXTE CARLO CASINO : BALL AND CONCERT

ROOM BEFORE 1878 . . . Foctng page 310

THE GARNIER THEATRE : VIEW FROM THE

STAGE ...... 314

EAST VIEW OF THE GARNIER THEATRE . . „ 316

WEST VIEW OF THE GARNIER THEATRE . . „ 318

THE GARNIER THEATRE AND THE TERRACES . ,, 320

CHRONOLOGICAL PLAN OF THE CASINO . . „ 322

THE NEWEST AND PRU'^ATE PART OF THE

CASINO ...... 326

THE NOUVELLE SALLE, OR SALLE EMPIRE . „ 328

GALLELl's PAINTING OF WATER . . . „ 330

THE HYDROPATHIC ESTABLISHMENT . . „ 332

" DREAMS " : A CEILING BY GALLELI . . „ 334

THE SALLE TOUZET . . . . „ 338

SECTION OF THE ROULETTE : CONSTRUCTOR'S

DRAWING . . . . . ,, 364

PHOTOGRAPHIC COPY OF THE MONACO DEATH-
RATE ,....„ 398

THE INDIARUBBER-TREE's EXAMPLE OF FILIAL

DUTY ...... 420

THE ilEXICAN SERPENT CACTUS ATTACKING AN

AFRICAN DATE - PALM THE CHAM^ROPS

MARTIANA FROM THE HIMALAYAH . . „ 422

THE MONTK CARLO OPERA : A SCENE FROM

" IVAN THE TERRIBLE " . . . „ 432

THE BATTLE OF FLOWERS . . . ,, 438

THE NAVAL BATTLE OF FLOWERS . . „ 440

THE INTERNATIONAL REGATTAS . . . „ 442

16 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ROUGIER STARTING FOR HIS FLIGHT OVER THE
MEDITERRANEAN

RECEPTION OF THE QUEENS OF BEAUTY .

THE GOLF CLUB ....

INTERNATIONAL MOTOR BOAT EXHIBITION AND
COMPETITION ....

THE DOG SHOW ....

Facing page

444

»

446

99

448

53

450

»

452

PART I

CHAPTER I

THE MYTHOLOGY OF MONACO

ANTHROPOLOGY and mythology rather than
history supply the earliest beginnings of our
knowledge concerning Monaco and its peoples.
History does not go so far back, and is certainly not more
reliable. In any case, it seems as if histories that passed
current half-a-century ago have to be rewritten in the
light of modern critical analysis. The history of
Monaco has not escaped this common fate. The old
traditions have been challenged. Only that which is
proved on evidence after careful examination can now
be accepted. The very pedigree of Monaco's princes is
exposed to the meticulous scrutiny of the modern critics,
who refuse to treat tradition with unquestioning reverence.
Fortunately Monaco has become a centre for the pro-
motion of science, especially the sciences which deal with
the earliest manifestations of life. Thus it does seem
as if the ancient worship established on this rock is now
bearing fruit. If the plankton — that is, the fine living dust
which floats on the face of the deep — be the first or
earliest manifestation of life, the materialisation of the
spirit that moved on the waters, then assuredly the
science of oceanography will constitute the first chapter
in the history of the living woi'ld, and Monaco is now
the world's chief centre for the study of this new science.
Monaco is also a centre, though of less importance,
for another new science which may be considered as the
second chapter in the history of life. Monaco has its
Archaeological Institute, with its scholars, its explorers,
its museum and its funds for the endowment of original
19

20 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

research. Here are collected rare palceontological treasures
that disclose the ingenuity, the artistic aspirations, the
modes of existence prevailing in prehistoric times.
Finally, we have also at Monaco archives which are
among the richest in Europe, and where a vast accumu-
lation of original documents and state correspondence
give real and interesting testimony bearing on important
historical events of recent and of medieeval times. Thus
while enjoying unusual climatic advantages in the midst
of beautiful scenery coupled with all the comforts of
modern town life, the lover of science and history finds
at Monaco exceptional facilities for study. Dividing his
investigations into three parts we have first biology in
the library, the laboratories, the small experimental
aquaria, the large public aquarium and the palatial
museum of the Oceanographic Institute : secondly pre-
historic archeology at the Anthropological Institute and
Museum which, like the Oceanographic Museum, over-
looks the sea and the beautiful Gardens of St Martin
at Monaco : thirdly the written and printed evidence
bearing on modern history now carefully stored and
catalogued in the Archives of the Palace and placed
under the scholarly control of Monsieur L. H. Laborde,
chief archivist.

In attempting to summarise history the abundance
of materials is, however, of more encumbrance than
assistance ; nor does the fact that the Principality is
a small place shorten the length of its history. There are
as many days in the JMonegasque calendar as in that
of any other country. Indeed, the history of Monaco
is in part the history of France, of Spain, of Italy and
sometimes England. Its princes, who were related to the
kings and princes of these countries, intrigued at the
different courts and became the heroes of love ad-
ventures, notably at the courts of Versailles and of
St James. Fortunately in the difficult task of abbreviating
and even of omitting altogether inany portions of this
history there is the authority of Lentheric for skipping

EARLY INHABITANTS 21

over no less than five centuries. " La Provence Maritime,
Ancienne et Moderne," by Charles Lentheric, is a learned
and fascinating description or history of the natural
development of the French Riviera. In his opinion
positive reliable history relating to this part of the world
does not begin before the sixth century. Out of the
impenetrable chaos of confused legends no facts stand forth
that can supply the elements of a serious discussion.
All we know is that ceilain peoples lived here and certain
other peoples periodically overran the country without
actually settling and forming permanent colonies. There
seems to have been a hinterland with a permanent — or,
in any case, a comparatively stable — population ; and
an ever-recurrent flow of traders or invaders visiting or
attacking the coast-line. If this was not inscribed in
history it could be deduced as a reasonable probability
arising froin the geographical conformation of the country.
The more recent hinterland populations were of Aryan
origin, consisting of Celts, otherwise called Gauls.

Before the advent of the Gaul, however, a still older
race peopled the land stretching from the mouths of the
Rhone to the further limits of Etruria. They were a
much lower race, though hardy warriors ; small of stature
but strong, active and brave. Not much is known about
them, they left neither monuments nor literature, but
they survived many an invasion, notably that of the
Phoenician fleets. Indeed, the overcoming of this resist-
ance has been by some regarded as having given rise
to the Heraklean legends. Such myths are often more
important than the bare facts of history. Whether a
certain chief governed a certain tribe for a long or a short
time during the first or second century matters very
little to us to-day ; the further we go back the less the
chronology of generals or chiefs seems to affect us. What
is of interest, and still of importance, for it continues to
influence our daily life, is the flow and ebb of races and
peoples bringing with them certain customs and beliefs,
unconsciously embodying conceptions of human and

22 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

cosmic relations. In this manner have the souls of peoples
been moulded and modern nations are but the children
of these ancient races. It is not because we are told such
a tribe defeated another tribe on a given spot and on
a particular day that we shall understand the dim trend
of thought and aspiration which brought about the
mental and material evolution out of which we ourselves
are born. Contemplating history in this manner, the
myths representing the ideals and veiling the truth in
the fantasy of a symbolic fable are often more fruitful
and instructive than the poor and unreliable records called
early history. The adventures of the gods, related as of
a time when gods and men lived in close communion
with each other, constitute a dramatisation that presents
us with an unconsciously personated manifestation of
forces arising out of economic necessity. Therefore move-
ments of tribes and peoples striving for better conditions
of life appear as the arbitrary actions of individual heroes,
their eponymous ancestors, subsequently deified or at
least raised to the position of superhuman " heroes."

Thus, but a short time ago, for the greatest fete and
pageant ever given in the Principality, it was not a page
of history the organisers invoked. The largest and also
the most distinguished crowd ever assembled on the
rocks and shores of the old port came to see the personi-
fication of the sun-god Herakles wage battle with the
powers of darkness ; and, triumphant, install in Monaco
the arts and sciences, while conferring the gift of perpetual
spring. As Apollo, the sun-god, with the aid of the
Muses, represents music and the arts, which are gener-
ously subsidised and encouraged in the Principality, so
the Roman Hercules also was associated in Italy with
the Muses. On those occasions Hercules was named
Musagetes, and pictured holding a lyre. This interpreta-
tion, however, was purely Roman ; there was no trace
of it in Greece. To-day the muscular strength Herakles
personified is superseded by the much greater force
acquired through the scientific control of the elements

HERAKLES DISCOVERS MONACO 23

of nature. It is this modernised conception of strength
that is studied by the government of the Principality.
In deciding problems of local administration the teaching
of science is more and more closely observed, and it may
thus be said that by utilising the force science confers
Hercules is still honoured.

It is not, however, the Grecian Herakles or the
Roman Hercules who is specially connected with Monaco.
The most brilliant of all public rejoicings was held in
April 1910 to celebrate the inauguration of the Oceano-
graphic Museum. The chapter dealing with this unique
institution will describe the water festival. For the
moment it suffices to state that this aquatic spectacle
recalled the old legend according to which Monaco was
founded sixteen or seventeen hundred years before the
Christian era by the Phoenician Melkarth, or sun-god,
born of Baal and Astarte, who were recognised at Tyre
and Sidon as the father and mother of all things. Dupuis,
in his great work "L'Origine de Tous les Cultes" and other
eighteenth-century authorities, interpreted myths in an
astronomical sense which, if considerably modified by
more modern I'esearch, is not even to-day entirely super-
seded. According to this school man had no sooner given
a soul to the world and an intelligence guiding and
vivifying the various forces of nature than these were
promptly represented in poems and chants as living
personalities. The sun as the redeemer from the evils
of winter appears to us embodied in different legends
under the names of Hercules, Bacchus, Osiris, Helios,
Jason, etc., etc. ; in all these myths there is a similar
conception differently expressed. With Herakles the
myth represented strength, primarily solar strength, then
human endeavour travailing and struggling for the
accomplishment of a given task. This harmonises very
accurately with the legendary twelve labours of Hercules
piously and fittingly painted in the galleries that sur-
round the Court of Honour of the palace of Monaco.

The legend is sometimes appropriated bodily by a

24 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

people who flatter themselves into the belief tliat the life
history of the god as their eponymous ancestor is the
history of their nation. Thus it was not the Phoenicians
who came to Monaco ; it was Herakles, or Melkarth,
Menouakh as they entitled their principal god. The latter
word, according to I'Abb^ Burges (" Antiquitates Grecae,"
v., p. 2831), means that which gives asylum or rest, and
this is certainly applicable to a natural harbour such as
the port at Monaco. The Greeks, the Abbe maintains,
erroneously interpreted the term as signifying sole occup-
ant or inhabitant ; but certainly in the temples built to
Herakles no other god was worshipped. Thus we come
to the Partus HerakUs Blonoeki where the Phoenicians
raised a temple in which Melkarth was alone to be
\vorshipped as the god of strength, the symbol of the
sun, that dissipates darkness, gives light, life, harvest,
fruit, sweetness, health and increase. According to one
version the word Monaco was connected with a form of
monotheism, and according to another authority with the
sense of hospitality, of rest and security that a good
harbour offers to the weary mariner. It may be argued
that there is not much in a name, especially in this case,
for, according to Varro, Hercules rejoiced in no fewer
than forty-four aliases. On the other hand these forty-
four Herculeses all achieved similar exploits, whether it
was Hercules at Gabez or Samson at Gaza. For the most
part they killed lions and procured golden apples.

It would be interesting to know during which of his
twelve labours Monaco was discovered by its titular god.
The legend says he conferi'ed eternal spring on this favoured
spot ; a poetical conceit, confirmed, in a measure, by the
springlike climate that prevails there during the winter.
The probabilities are that Herakles would be described
as passing by Monaco while coasting the Mediterranean
on his way to the Gardens of the Hesperides, for they
were alleged to be near Mount Atlas and to the extreme
west. But all along the Riviera people claim that the
golden apples were none other than the oranges they

THE GOLDEN APPLES 25

grew in their gardens. Ignoring the sweet and large
oranges of Jaffa, and other places close to Tyre, they
imagine that the sour oranges of the French Riviera were
the first and nearest that would be found by travellers
coming from Tyre or Sidon. Thus the islands close to
Toulon are called Les Iks d'Or, because the inhabitants
thought that Herakles must have found the golden
apples or oranges in this neighbourhood. At the winter
station of Hyeres, facing these islands, the first hotels
built adopted names in keeping with this tradition. There
were the Hotel des lies dOr and the Hotel des Hesper-
ides. Other places along the Uiviera, notably the islands
opposite Cannes, also claim to have provided Herakles
with the golden apples he needed. Monaco alone, however,
was named after Herakles and known in history as the
Porfus Hei-aklis Monaki or Partus Herculis 3Ioncec/.
But the reader may inquire was it when pursuing Geryon
or when seeking for golden apples that he paused at
Monaco ? On this point the myth is silent.

To-day the zodiacal sign Leo means the end of July
and the first twenty-two days of August. If the year of
Melkarth began in Leo, the sun has precessed through
five signs since that time, so that all this must have
happened some thirteen thousand years ago. Without
attempting the lengthy task of describing the twelve
labours of Hercules, we may take the twelfth as an example,
particularly as it deals with the golden apples said to
have been found on the Riviera. Dupuis, in the manner
of his day, summarises the fable and compares it with the
astronomical reality. It may also be noted that after his
ascension into heaven, in a cloud of glory. Herakles is
stated to have wedded Hebe, or eternal spring ; a detail,
a later poetical version of the myth, which may haAC
inspired the idea of associating the springlike climate of
Monaco with tliis legend.

Thus explained, these legends lose none of their poet-
ical value, tliough they have acquired a scientific interest.
When armed with this knowledge, we shall see how

26 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

appropriate are the frescoes depicting the labours of
Hercules painted round the gallery of the Court of
Honour in the palace of Monaco. They give the princi-
pal legend out of which Monaco has grown. Herakles,
having secured the golden apples of Hesperides, is inade
immortal and marries Hebe, or eternal spring. Remember-
ing that the gardens of the principality are worthy of
comparison with the Gardens of the Hesperides, it is
equally easy to admit that golden apples have been
discovered. In this modern version of the classic abode
where the dragon and the three nymphs known as the
Hesperides were set to guard the golden apples Juno
gave to Jupiter, the nymphs are to-day more numerous.
The dragon still guards the golden apples and it requires
the strength of Herakles to snatch any of them away.
But Herakles does not represent the foreigners who come
and get into trouble with the nymphs or are devoured by
the dragon. He is the titular god of Monaco ; he killed
the dragon and took the apples.

Again it must also be borne in mind that Herakles,
as already mentioned, was united to the spring, to Hebe,
who was fair and always in the bloom of youth. She was
cupbearer to the gods, and could restore men to the
vigour of youth. Hebe was well suited to accompany the
sun-god, the god of strength, the giver of life and light,
who nevertheless is defeated annually and has to descend
to the underworld, there to be born again and rise
triumphantly in the springtime. Though this endless
battle between Ormuz and Ahriman, between Osiris and
Typhon, between Good and Evil, between Summer and
Winter, is waged in all parts of the world, there is scarcely
another spot where the fruits of the sun's victory are
more superbly displayed than on the Riviera, and especi-
ally at Monaco. Well may the titular god of even such
a travelled people as the Phoenicians have paused before
this entrancing panorama, this amphitheatre of majestic
mountains sheltering the subtropical vegetation and the
general abundance of fruit and flowers that encircles

THE MONACO MIRACLE 27

the port Melkarth was supposed to make his
own.

This assuredly was the moment for a miracle. Rarely
had the benefits the sun confers, the beauty it creates,
been so harmoniously manifested. Nature, like the faithful
in the days of credulity, seemed to cry out for a miracle.
But early man had not as yet begun to draw the distinc-
tion between the miraculous and the natural. At a later
stage the longing for the miraculous is the incentive to
gi'cat works ; and, after all, how small are the miracles in
the legends of the past compared with the every-day feats
of modern science.

Herakles performed his deed of might, and this deed is
equal to the greatest, for it renders, and will continue to
render, inestimable service to countless millions of beings.
The great sun-god was indignant to think that the ac-
cumulation of his best achievements clustering together
at Monaco was to be injured or destroyed by his old
adversary the Evil One, the Winter, the constellation of
the Serpent that to-day holds the sun captive during the
months of November, December and January. Therefore
the Herakles known as Melkarth or Herakles Monoekos
raised his mighty arms and bent nature to his will.

Needless to say no gods break their own laws. A
miracle has been well defined as the overthrowing of a
general and well-known law of nature by applying another
natural law that is not so well known. According to the
usual and better-known law governing countries situated
in about the 43rd degree of latitude they should experi-
ence such severe winters that they cannot grow tropical
vegetation. It is necessary, generally speaking, to go a
good distance south of Monaco, to Andalusia in Spain,
for instance, to cultivate the lemon and the orange or
plant palm-trees in the open. But Herakles performed
the miracle ; he bestowed on Monaco perpetual spring.
The winter months provide springlike weather, and the
summer is cooler in Monaco than in other countries of the
same latitude. Thus, comparatively speaking, springlike

28 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

weather prevails all the year round. The miracle, if we
may call it a miracle, was achieved. The general law regu-
lating the correspondence between latitude and climate
was overthrown by applying another law that cannot be
often brought to bear, the law of shelter and i-eflection.
The shelter from cold northerly winds is afforded by the
Maritime Alps, and what but the strength of Hercules
could have so raised the earth as to form this lofty and
mighty range of mountains ? Attracted to the Alps the
rainclouds leave the sky at Monaco undisturbed and the
sun, without interruption, pours his heat rays on the lime-
stone of the mountains. Here the warmth is stored and
then reflected on the principality even after the sun has
set. On the other hand the fact that the greater part of
the principality, though close to the cold waters of the sea,
is 300 feet and more above the shore, produces a cool
refreshing movement of the air which mitigates the heat
of the summer. In this manner is Monaco blessed by the
sun-god, who personified the renowned mariners of Tyre.
Since then, and from all quarters of the world, people have
come to this privileged spot to enjoy the climate and wait
till Hebe restored their impaired youthfulness. It may
therefore be said that unto this very day are the old sun-
god and his youthful bride worshipped at IVlonaco. While
the foreigners enjoy the climate, the natives gather the
golden apples that grow more and more plentifully in this
modern Garden of Hesperides ; but they devote part of the
proceeds to advance the arts and sciences the sun-god has
ever favoured.

Another myth that plays an important part in the story
of Monaco is the story of St D(^vote. This legend has been
well preserved, for it is told with differences that only
affect matters of detail. It may be related briefly or at
length, the main facts remain the same. But, like Herakles,
St Devote does not belong exclusively to Monaco. The
saint has also her chapel and votaries in Corsica. Thus
when in 1747 a revolt broke out in that island, its chief
leader, Paolo, instituted an order of knighthood and

LEGEND OF ST DEVOTE 29

thought he could not better reward those who had served
him than by conferring on them the title of Chevalier de
Sdinte Dixote. From this example, set by his fellow-
countryman, Napoleon is said to have derived the idea of
creating the Order of the Legion of Honour.

Perhaps the most complete account and most easily
accessible will be found in the Acta Saiictoriiini,
Jannuai-rii, t. 2, pp. 770 and 771, of the Ex Chroiiologia
Ecrinensi. Without reproducing this document in full it
may be briefly stated that in the time of the Emperor
Diocletian and JNIaximian a pious Christian girl living
in Corsica took refuge in the house of a senator named
Euticus to escape from persecution. This was St Devote.
She is described as passing an ascetic and contemplative
life, fasting on all days but Sunday and inflicting severe
bodily punishment on herself. In vain did Euticus en-
deavour to dissuade her from such austerity. St Devote
replied : "I do not ill treat my body ; on the contrary,
I indulge in diverse delights, because God in heaven
surfeits me every day with his gifts and his goodness " :
and Euticus, we are further told, dared not persist be-
cause he was unable to face the radiance of her visage.
Then follows the story of the arrival of the wicked
prefect sent from Home to persecute the Christians.

Euticus invited the prefect to dinner, and while he
was at table someone informed the prefect that a young
girl who despised the gods was concealed in the house.
As, however, the senator refused to give her up, the
prefect caused him to be secretly poisoned. St Devote
was then seized and called upon to sacrifice to the gods.
When she refused a stone was dashed upon her mouth,
to prevent her from blaspheming against the gods.
Then her feet were tied together and she was dragged,
naked, by a horse over rough stones. In the midst of her
sufTering she cried out : " I^ord, hear thy servant's prayer,
and number among the elect Euticus, who has been
killed on my account by the barbarous prefect." There-
upon a voice was heard from heaven saying, "My

30 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

daughter, thy prayer is granted and all that thou de-
mandest thou shalt obtain," upon which a dove came
out of her mouth and flew to the skies. The prefect
wished to burn her body on the morrow so that it should
not go to heaven, but during the night the priest
Benenatus, from Savoy, and the deacon Apollinaris (who
had been hiding in a cave), having been warned by a
vision, carried the body to the boat of the mariner
Gratien. They started for the coast of Africa, but a fear-
ful storm blew them towards Europe. The exhausted
Gratien fell asleep. St Devote then appeared to Bene-
natus and told him that the storm would soon be over,
that a dove would come from the mouth of her body,
and the boat must follow the dove till they reached
a place the Greeks named Monacho and the Latins
Singulare : there, in a valley called Gaumates, the
remains were to be buried. This was all fulfilled, and
the burial took place on the 27th of January, presumably
of the year 304.

There are, as has been said, other versions of the
story. According to one of these the ship was completely
wrecked and all on board were drowned. The body of St
Devote floated about on a plank till it reached the port
of Hercules. Here it was found that someone had
thoughtfully written on the plank full explanations and
instructions, so that the saint was duly buried in the vale
— or, as it would be more correct to say, the gorge — of
the Gaumates. The details of the various versions vary.
According to some accounts, St Devote was only sixteen
years old and very beautiful. Her protector Euticus was
poisoned by the prefect's cook, sent for that purpose,
and the poison consisted of herbs with which the cook
pretended to flavour an eel-pie. This he did so skilfully
that Euticus died rapidly and without difficulty. Many
details are given concerning the martyrdom of the saint.
According to one story she was to have been crucified but
died in time to escape this last torture. Where the story
is weak is in respect to what happened after the body had

MIRACLES OF ST DEVOTE 31

reached the shore at Monaco. It is rather disconcerting
to find that what was apparently the first church built on
the spot where the saint is supposed to have been buried
was dedicated to St George, who, it seems, took not
only England but also Genoa under his patronage.

All that we know on which positive reliance may be
placed is that there are extant title-deeds concerning
Monaco which were drawn up in the eleventh century,
and these mention the existence of an oratory in the
ravine of the Gaumates which was a dependence of the
Abbey of Saint-Pons at Nice. But this is seven hundred
years after the martyrdom is supposed to have taken
place. We do know, however, that the Abbey of Saint-
Pons belonged to the Order of St Benoit and that this
order did at some time or other propagate the cult of St
Devote. The ruling princes of Monaco also supported
this worship and agreed that St Devote should be the
patron saint of the principality. Finally the popes gave
their approval. In the well-stocked archives of Monaco
several pontifical bulls are to be found on this subject.
There is one dated 1475 from Sixtus IV., and another
from Benoit XIII. of 1725, granting a two years'
indulgence to the faithful who observe St Devote's fete
day and contribute to the restoration of her chapel.

Though many centuries elapsed before the virtues of
this saint and martyr were recognised, it is not surprising
that with the aid of the august patronage ultimately forth-
coming, St Devote finally gained great ascendancy over the
minds of the Monegasques. In the course of time, there-
fore, St Devote became the object of ardent worship, and
the faith now firmly established had a suflicient hold on
susceptible minds to suggest apparitions and miracles.
In 1070 a pirate named Antinope having anchored
within the port, succeeded dui'ing the night in forcing
the doors of the chapel, and stealing the reliquary
containing the remains of St Devote. Next day, however,
it was noticed that, though the wind was favourable,
Antinope was unable to manoeuvre his boat so as to quit

32 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

the harbour. This awakened suspicion. The theft had been
discovered, and it was thought that the saint was thus
endeavouring to indicate the thief. Boats were sent out.
Antinope was captured and the rehcs recovered. He was
brouglit before the Itahan Prince Hugo, who contented
himself with having his nose and ears cut off and then
allowed him to return to his boat.

This incident accounts for the fact that the relics were
removed to the Church of St Nicholas, up at ISIonaco,
where there is the protection of the fortifications that
surround the old town. But every year on the 27th of
January these relics are brought down to the Vale of
the Gaumates. There is a grand procession, and when
the priests arrive at the Condamine, and in front of
the chapel dedicated to St Devote, they turn towards the
port and bless the sea and the ships with her relics. In the
evening a bonfire is lit by the captain of the port and
is answered by another bonfire at Monaco in front of the
palace. Monaco, itself, however, has been frequently be-
sieged and sometimes captured. The most important of
these sieges began in December 1506 and lasted 102 days.
On that occasion the town was attacked by the Genoese,
and, according to an old tradition, would certainly have
fallen if St Devote had not appeared to the besiegers
wrapped in a cloud. This awe-inspiring vision disheartened
the Genoese and they raised the siege. Later, in 1585, a
small body of Corsican and French soldiers attempted to
surprise the garrison, a Corsican living in Monaco having
undertaken to help in betraying the town. With ladders and
some petards the audacious invaders, though numbering
only 150 fighting men, attempted to storm one of the outer
gates. They failed, however, to blow up the gate with
their petards, and a few shots, followed by a shower of
stones from the walls, sent the small band of adventurers
flying for their lives. This, however, is only the dry
version given by historians, who are so very unsympathetic
as to require proofs or evidence before recording popular
beliefs as if they were facts. The reason of course why

THE FEAST OF ST DEVOTE 33

this assault failed was the intervention of St Devote.
What could be more plausible than that the saint should
appear on the walls of Monaco and reprove the Corsicans
for attacking a town where the relics of their own
Corsican saint and martyr were so carefully guarded and
cherished. Such a reproach would be irresistible, and well
may the assailants have desisted and hastened back to
their ships.

By such stories and traditions is the impression created
that Monaco was brought into being by Melkarth, the
Herakles of the Phoenicians, and preserved as an inde-
pendent state for many centuries by its patroness St
Devote. The question might then be put whether there
is not with regard to the St Devote legend a rational
explanation such as that I have just given with respect to
Herakles. It would indeed be strange if it were not so ;
but while no one still desires to believe Herakles really
did exist, killed a real lion, swept out a real stable, and
picked genuine golden apples, there are many people
whose feelings would be hurt if they were undeceived
with regard to the dove issuing from St Devote's mouth.

CHAPTER II

THE EARLY HISTORY OF MONACO

DURING the first year of the forty-fifth Olympiad
— ^that is, about six hundred years before the
Christian era — a tribe was making merry in a
sheltered bay of Southern Gaul. Their chief, named Nann,
was about to give his daughter Gyptis in marriage when
a Phocian galley approached the shore. The strangers
were invited to land and participate in the rejoicings.
Toward the end of the feast the chief, giving a cup to
his daughter, ordered her to present the wine it contained
to the man present whom she would select to wed. It so
happened that the captain of the Phocian galley was tall,
handsome, distinguished, and the chieftain's young daughter
offered him the matrimonial cup. Some say his name was
Protis ; others, Euxenes : in any case the Ligurians gave
him sufficient land for building a town. Massalia, or
Marseilles, thus came into existence. To this day the in-
habitants of Marseilles boast that they are descended from
the Phocians.

Before this happy event we know that Ligurians,
hailing from the banks of the Danube, invaded the north
of Italy ; and, travelling along the narrow shores from
what is now Genoa to Marseilles, encountered other
invaders — the Iberians coming from Spain and travelling
in the contrary direction. The Ligurians seem to have
been a little more civilised than the Iberians : at any rate
the latter were early driven away. At all events the
Ligurians knew how to cultivate grain. They had some
sort of tribal organisation and possessed better weapons.
The Phocians who had reached Marseilles just in time for

34,

ADVENT OF THE PHOENICIANS 35

the wedding feast came from Phocsea, a maritime town
of Ionia, between Cumaj and Smyrna, where the Athenians
had founded a colony. They therefore represented a much
higher degree of civihsation ; but, if they found the
Ligurians a somewhat barbarous people, they were greatly
impressed by the natural advantages of the gulfs formed
by the estuary of the Rhone. Here was an opportunity
of exchanging the merchandise of the East for the agri-
cultural produce of the Rhone Valley. To increase the
value of the latter, the Phocians brought olives, vines, seeds
of all sorts, better weapons and better clothes. They
planted vineyards and fig-trees. The Celtic hovels and
mud walls made room for Greek temples and Corinthian
fa(,"ades. Nevertheless the Phocians were not the first
civilised people to trade with and colonise these shores.

The Phoenicians ^ — the palm-tree people — are stated
to have founded colonies even beyond the Pillars of Her-
cules, and this some eleven or twelve hundred years before
our era. They it was who named the mountains on each
side of the Straits of Gibraltar the Pillars of Hercules,
and whose history, we have seen, is the basis on which
rests the myth of Melkarth or Herakles, the Phoenician
Hercules. The Phoenicians not only preceded the Phocians
by many hundred years, but their road from Tyre and
Sidon was not via Marseilles. They preferred to travel via
Monaco, consequently named the Port of Hercules. Here
it was that the Phoenician ships, easily recognisable by
the horse's head at the prow and the fish's tail at the
stern, first touched the shore. A thousand years and more
before the dove guided St Devote's little bark to this
spot, the Phoenicians had also landed in the Condamine
under the shelter of Monaco on one side and Monte
Carlo on the other. How long the Phoenicians remained,
when precisely they first arrived, antiquaries and his-
torians must be left to discuss. It may suffice for present

1 Phoiitix : Greek for phoenix and for palm-tree. Phoenic has become
the generic name for palm-trees ; thus phomic dactylifera is the date-
palm.

36 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

purposes to record that they colonised this part of the
world for several centuries. Their rivals the Phocians w^ere
known to history only about 800 B.C. ; but they early
acquired a good reputation as able navigators, keen
tradesmen. They were, withal, a noisy, merry people,
characteristics still to be found at Marseilles and in
Provence. Fen de brut — Proven9al for " make a noise " —
as " Tartarin de Tarascon " shows us, is still a joy in
itself.

After the downfall of Tyre in 574 b.c. — wrought by
the Persians under Cyrus — its principal colony, Carthage,
inherited the western possessions of the Phoenicians. This
gave a superiority to Carthage which was not approved
by the Phocian element then predominating at Marseilles.
A maritime war ensued between the rival ports, by that
time a number of havens and strongholds had been created
along the coast, such as Athenopolis, Antipolis, or Antibes,
Niccea, or Nice, but JMo/neces, or Monaco, was among the
most ancient and the most important. True to its pure
Phoenician origin, Monaco took sides with Carthage
against IMarseilles, and to this day there is an occasional
revival of the ancient antagonism. Monaco occasionally
served as a basis for the operations of the Carthaginian
fleet ; and to-day the people of IVIarseilles have not ceased
watching lest ^lonaco, as an independent principality,
should use its port to the disadvantage of INIarseilles
trade.

AVhen the Phoenicians associated Monaco with their
great divinity Melkarth, or Herakles, they meant the whole
mass of the mountains which shelter the coast, and which
only a giant of strength, a Hercules, could have surmounted
or conquered. It is generally believed that a temple was
raised to the Phoenician Hercules and built on the rock
where the old town of Monaco now stands, probably on
the site of the present cathedral. But others think the
temple stood on the Moneghette height, farther inland
and behind the rock of Monaco town. On the site of the
present town no Phoenician remains have been found. The

CARTHAGE AND MARSEILLES 37

earliest traces of human efforts to build were discovered
farther inland and higher up ; and these are prehistoric,
for they belong to the time when the use of mortar and
plaster had not been discovered. The nearest is the castrwn
in the Castelleretto quarter, near the Ophthalmic Institute,
founded by the Princess Alice ; though, of late, the cutting
of quarries has largely destroyed the site where stones
were piled together to form a castle. Better remains of
this description are to be seen away up toward the
highest point dominating the coasts. On the summit of
Mount Agel there is a levelled plateau that suggests the
ground on which a sanctuary stood. Probably there was
also an entrenched camp. A sixteenth-century map, drawn
during the Spanish occupation, speaks of las muras, the
walls. Behind JNIount Agel, as a defence of the pass or
road from Turbie to Peille, there are some well-preserved
remains called Lou Casteii. Here the wall in some parts is
still about sixteen feet high, though built only by fitting
stones one on the other. There was no cement, mortar or
plaster in those days. Probably several temples were
raised in honour of Hercules in these fortified positions.
Strabo says a temple was built at the port itself : though
no sign of it remains here there are traces elsewhere.

Nothing precise is known as to what happened at
Monaco when the power of Carthage was on the wane.
There can be no doubt, however, that the people of
Marseilles clung tenaciously to the great Heraklean road
the Phoenicians had constructed. For many centuries it
supplied the life-blood of the whole coast. Many authors
mention this lengthy road and describe how it bore most
of the traflfic from Italy to Spain. When, after the Second
Punic War, the Romans conquered Spain, Marseilles was
brought into close contact with Rome. Perhaps it was
because the Heraklean road was so good that the Romans
expanded their road-building faculties in other less
favoured directions. But the turbulent liigurians who
remained of the aboriginal stock showed atavistic
tendencies. Though the civilisation brought from Tyre

38 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

and Sidon had predominated from 1000 to 600 or 500 B.C.,
and was then reinforced by Grecian civihsation, coming
from the Grecian islands in the wake of the Phocians,
the Ligurians still indulged in occasional brigandage.
The Roman influence was now substituting itself for
that of the Greeks, but does not seem to have been alto-
gether welcome. Livy relates that in 189 b.c. the Praetor
L. Boebius when travelling to Spain was attacked by
Ligurians and died from his wounds at Marseilles. A
similar fate befell the Prtetor Fabius in 173 B.C. Consul
A. Opimius, therefore, headed a punitive expedition and
inflicted heavy losses on the Ligurians near Antibes.

After this lesson, the Heraklean road once more
became secure and useful. It was frequented by many
Roman legions going to and from Spain. They marched
from Italy to Monaco and there embarked in galleys.
History mentions the arrival at Monaco of many
Roman generals, and the port became an important
strategical position on the Italian frontier. Julius Ca;sar
himself, at the beginning of the civil war, came to
Monaco from Gaul, and there embarked on the vessel
that took him to fight Pompey. On this occasion the
Ligurians enrolled themselves under Ca;sar, though
they were ever ready to fight against the Romans when
the latter became oppressive. Indeed, they were not
thoroughly subjected till the year 7 b.c, when Augustus
Csesar won the great victory commemorated to this day
by the imposing though ruined monument at La Turbie.
This Augustan trophy, raised high on the AIpe Summa or
Alpe Maritima, stands on the limit of Italy and ancient
Gaul. It was built by order of the Roman Senate as a
mark of gratitude for the decisive victory won over the
Gauls. This work was begun in the year 758 of Rome.
Stone quarries were opened for the purpose, and quarrying
has continued as a local industry to this day. Prisoners
of war were forced by the Roman soldiers to cut stones
from the side of the Alountain of Battles, as the Turbie
is sometimes called. It was thought advisable to erect a

THE ROMANS AND LA TURBIE 39

monument of such dimensions as would thoroughly
impress the semi-barbarous native populations. A firm
square basis was first constructed, and this served as a
pedestal for a lofty tower. Superimposed columns orna-
mented and surrounded the tower. Between each column
was a niche to hold the efhgy of a Roman officer or other
celebrity, and on the summit stood a gigantic statue of
Augustus Caesar. To judge from the size of the head,
discovered in 158.5 by Father Boyer, whose MS. de-
scription still exists in the I^^rins Library, the statue
must have been about twenty-two feet high.

This ostentation and pride of conquest lasted but a
day. The very populations whose defeat was thus recorded
in stone swept by this very spot on their victorious march
to Rome. They might have revenged themselves by
destroying the monuinent, but this was left for vandals
of a much more recent date. Meanwhile the name of
the proud Roman trophy degenerated as the power of the
Roman Empire declined. From Trophi Augusti we have
Torpea or Torpia, and finally the modern village and
commune of La Turbie.

Under the Ctesars, Monaco became a very important
place and the Roman jewellery found shows that it was
inhabited by influential and wealthy Romans. A remark-
able collection of this jewellery is at present to be seen at
the Anthropological INIuseum in Monaco town.

The Roman Emperor Pertinax was born between Nice
and Monaco. In early life he was a charcoal-maker, but
when he enlisted in the Roman army he distinguished
himself first in Syria, then in Britain, defeating the
Caledonians. In reward for his services Marcus Aurelius
raised him to the Senate, and at the death of Commodus
he was proclaimed Emperor. The charcoal-burner who
hailed from Monaco and Nice became a most estimable
ruler, both modest and humane.

During the civil war that followed the death, in G9, of
Nero, the rival claimants for the imperial purple, Otho
and Vitellius, met in battle near Monaco. Otho won

40

MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

three battles. Nevertheless he is ci'edited with having
nobly put an end to his own life rather than continue
such bloodshed to secure his personal promotion. Unfor-
tunately, Vitellius, for whose benefit this sacrifice was
made, proved unworthy of it. He led so degraded a life
that he was dragged to the Gemonian stairs by his own
soldiers and thrown to die among the carcasses of criminals.
Roman soldiers were sometimes apt to treat the chief of
the state with but scant courtesy.

According to some authorities, Christianity was first
preached on the Riviera by St Barnabas, who had worked
with St Paul. Others attribute the conversion of the
Ligurians to St Nazaire and St Celsius. In any case, they
were both arrested at Vintimille and martyred at Rome
in the time of Nero. On the other hand, the Jews are said
to have placed Mary IVIagdalene, Salome, Lazarus and
Joseph of Arimathea in a boat from which the rudder
was removed. Thus left helpless on the waves, the wind
took them over to the Riviera, and the River Magnum
is named after the Magdalene. Nevertheless but scant
details are forthcoming concerning the early propaganda
of Christianity till we reach the story of St Dev'ote, to
which the date of a.d. 304 is given. The downfall of the
Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity were
accompanied by the destruction of much evidence that
might have served to constitute history. As little care was
bestowed on I'ecording current events as in preserving
the history of the past. Hence for several centuries it is
almost impossible to say what happened.

The wild hordes that followed the Gauls into Italy
passed through or near Monaco. The Vandals, the Goths,
the Suabians, the Burgundians and others did not fail to
ravage Liguria on their road to Rome.

It was not till a pagan once more occupied the imperial
throne that the name of Rome was again respected. The
victories of Belisarius, the general sent by the Emperor
Justitian, restored order on the coast-line, where Monaco
was losing all its former importance and prosperity. Un-

FRANKS AND LOIMBARDS 41

fortunately this order was maintained only for a few
years.

Now came another race of tormentors, the Lombards,
from the valleys of the Drave and the Save. They had al-
ready begun to occupy those northern provinces of Italy
which are now called Lombardy. Other Lombards came
from North Germany, from Lcuige Biirdc, a fertile plain
by the Elbe. But the Italians translated the name into
Langobardi. longues Ixa-bcs, longbeards, aud finally Lom-
bards. From Italy the Lombards naturally passed over
the Maritime Alps, sacked Nice and utterly wiped out
Cimiez. Soon, however, a new power arose, this time in
the west. The rois faineants, or " idle kings," of the Franks,
whose names historians hardly like to drag forth from a
well-merited oblivion, entrusted the cares of government
to a functionary called the Mayor of the Palace. The
most celebrated of these rulers was Charles M artel, so
named after the word ma?-feau, or hammer. He had
hammered down his enemies, and notably the Saracen
invaders of the south of France. At the same time a cele-
brated Pope, Gregory I., was busy quarrelling with the
Lombards, for they had rendered themselves very unpopu-
lar in Italy. To obtain help, the Pope offered to make Pepin,
the son of Charles ]\Iartel, King of the Franks. This was
the beginning. The work continued when Pepin was recog-
nised as the first Carlovingian king of the Franks and
only concluded when Charlemagne, Charles Martel's
grandson, definitely destroyed Lombard rule. Charle-
magne was then proclaimed King of the Lombards and
the Franks. This Avas in 774, and six years later Charle-
magne became Emperor of the Romans, thus attempting
to reconstitute the Roman Empire of the Caesars. In this
manner did the Riviera come under his rule, and it was
Charlemagne who, out of the ruins of Cimiez and its
ancient dioceses, founded the Abbey of Saint-Pons, just
above Nice. This abbey has remained one of the most
important ecclesiastical institutions in the neighbourhood
of Monaco.

42 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

During the glorious reign of this great conqueror,
organiser and administrator, numerous war galleys had
been built. These Charlemagne employed to drive the
Danes away in the north, and the Saracens in the south.
The Riviera had been more or less exposed to Mussulman
iucursions since 729. It was necessary to institute a
system of fire signals at night and smoke signals in the
day along the entire coast. Traces of the towers then
built and of rusty fire-grids are still to be found on
prominent heights commanding the coasts. Those signals,
however, did not prevent the sacking of Nice and of
many other towns on the coasts, the Saracens and Moors
carrying off all the women they could find to people their
harems. On the other hand, some of these landing parties
occasionally came to grief and were themselves captured.
At first employed as slaves, they ultimately assimilated
with the native population of the Riviera, among whom
to this day very evident traces of Moorish blood may easily
be detected.

With the reign of Charlemagne there came a period
of peace, and even the Saracens were kept at a respectful
distance. But the great emperor died in 814, and his
empire was divided up in 843. His various successors soon
quarrelled among themselves or were attacked by other
pretenders. This gave the Saracens their chance, and they
did not fail to return to the Riviera, where they once more
sacked towns and plundered on all sides. The mountains
west of the Esterelle, reaching as far as Toulon, are still
called the ISIoor or 3£aures mountains. The principal
Moorish strongholds were at Fraxinet, overlooking St
Tropez, and the peninsula of St Hospice, sheltering one
side of Villefranche harbour. The latter port communi-
cated with a fort perched on the lofty pinnacle of Eze.
The Saracens had also a fortress at the top of Mount
Agel, above Cap Martin. Thus INIonaco was hedged in.
For more than a hundred years it would have been diffi-
cult to say whether the Christians or the JNIussulmans
were masters of the Riviera. It is true that in the year

THE SARACENS 43

963 the great Emperor Otho swore an oath that he
would drive all the Moors away, but he died very soon
after this rash resolve. It was not till 975 that a much
more modest personage. Count William of Provence,
really accomplished the task. The Moors at that time
seem to have been masters of the whole coast-line from
Monaco to St Tropez. William I., Viscount of Marseilles,
Count of Aries and sovereign of a large part of Provence,
set out against them. Izarn, Bishop of Grenoble, Boniface
of Castellane, the Lords of Vintimille, and one Giballin
Grimaldi joined their forces to his to wage war against the
Moors. They soon achieved a great triumph by capturing
the principal Moorish fortress at Fraxinet.

It is in connection with this memorable victory that
some historians make the first mention of a Grimaldi.
He was a Genoese patrician called Giballin Grimaldi.
It is related that with a handful of devoted followers he
climbed up a precipitous rock in the rear of the Fraxinet.
Supposing such a feat impossible, the INIoors had not
attempted to defend that side of their position. Thus they
were taken by surprise, and this diversion enabled the
main force to deliver a successful frontal attack. As a
reward for his courage and skill Grimaldi was given land
in the immediate neighbourhood of his victory stretching
from St Tropez to Frejus. To this day it still preserves
his name, for it is called the Golfe de G?i>naud, while the
Grand Fraxinet of the Moors is now known as the Ga?'d€
Fraisnet.

This early and somewhat legendary chief seems to
have been the Garibaldi of the epoch, for he was called
upon to deliver the whole country from foreign oppression,
and is credited with having driven the Moors out of Nice
and the Petit Fraxinet, now St Honore, at ^^illefranche.
He was the second son of Grimaldi I., Lord of Antibes,
who is reputed to have driven the Moors out of Monaco ;
some say in 920 others in 962 or 968. As a recompense
for this victory the father of Giballin is said to have
received the sovereignty of Monaco from the Emperor

44 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Otho I. Thus the belief was widely entertained that, with
but temporary interruptions, the Grimaldis have reigned
at Monaco ever since 968. Here, then, we would have a
dynasty older than the Norman Conquest of England
and more ancient than any reigning family in Europe. If
we turn to the older official annals of the principality, we
shall find that the brief historical pedigree of the house
of Grimaldi begins with Grimaldi I. in the year 968.

Tlie modern and more scientific methods of writing
history have destroyed this legend. The victory of
Giballin at the Gi-aiid Fraxinci is not denied, but the
proof that his father reigned at INIonaco is not forth-
coming. There was, however, a prominent Genoese
family of the name of Grimaldi. Even modern historians,
in spite of their sceptical and critical methods, recognise
that an Otto Canella, an ancestor of the Grimaldis, was
Consul of Genoa in the middle of the eleventh century.
This third son, Grimaldo, was three times Consul from
1162 to 1184. He it was who definitely decided that
Grimaldi should be the family name. JNlembers of this
family had on several occasions occupied Monaco, when
they fought for the Guelfs, but it was as frequently
recaptured by their adversaries.

The Genoese always recognised the strategical im-
portance of the port of Monaco, and the Emperor
Henry VI. conceded Monaco to the Genoese in 1191 on
condition they built a fortress there so as to help him
against the counts of Provence. Nevertheless twenty
years elapsed before any attempt was made to erect this
fortress. Between 1215 and 1239, when Frederic II,
succeeded to the empire, Monaco was fortified. But it
did not serve the emperor, for Frederic II. quarrelled
with the Pope, a dispute which separated him from the
Genoese, who now sought the alliance of the counts of
Provence. Important consequences ensued, for the Genoese
included in their conditions that the claims of Provence
on Monaco should be abandoned. This they obtained
fiom Raymond, Count of Toulouse and Provence, by the

ORIGIN OF THE GRIMALDIS 45

Treaty of the 22nd July 1262. Thus it was half-a-century
after its fortress had been built that the position of
Monaco was definitely recognised by treaty. The fortress
consisted of a castle dominating the land approaches,
built where the Prince's Palace now stands. At the other
extremity of the rock there was a second fortress over-
looking and commanding the port, called the Chateau
Neuf. A rampart united the two and the place was
rendered the more unassailable by the fact that there was
no road. A narrow steep path alone led from the port up
to the castle.

The Republic of Genoa conferred on Monaco a
commune similar to that of its other possessions. The
commander of the castle was the chief of the commune.
Sometimes there were two castles and two commanders.
In that case the first was called Podestli and had judiciary
authority. The second was called Castellan, and had only
military authority. For administrative purposes all the
inhabitants formed part of a general Parliament, but for
detail work they elected a Council of ten members. This
did not mean that the people in any way abdicated their
right to legislate. There are records that in 1246 the
people of Monaco, in Parliament assembled, discussed
their relations with the neighbouring lords of La Turbie.
It was then decided that those inhabitants of Monaco —
Monegasques, as they are called — who held land on the
estates of these lords must obey them, but that no
Monegasque could be allowed to buy land at the Turbie
unless special permission were given. This was the be-
ginning of the quarrels that lasted for many centuries
between Monaco and La Turbie, disputes which may yet
be revived, though of course in a modern form. It will be
seen that the early Monegasques enjoyed a large measure
of home rule or self-government.

The time now approached when Monaco was to
become a bone of contention between the Guelfs and
the Ghibellines. The former were driven out of Genoa
in 1270. They reoccupied the town six years later, but

46 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

in 1296, after street fighting that lasted unceasingly for
forty days and forty nights, were once more forced away
from the town. The Ghibellines, again masters of Genoa,
took possession of Monaco also. At that time the county
of Provence had been incorporated into the kingdom
of Charles II. of Anjou. This king claimed that his
Provencal dominions included Monaco and Vintimille.
The Guelfs when in power had been good allies of
Charles d'Anjou, brother of St Louis, King of France ;
but when his son, Charles II., succeeded to the throne of
Anjou, Provence and Sicily the new king was so anxious
to preserve the support of the Genoese Republic that
he turned against the old friends of his family, the
defeated Guelfs. This ingratitude was not, however,
agreeable to the inhabitants of the county of Nice.
They allowed the Guelfs to prepare an audacious expedi-
tion. For this purpose they selected Franceschino or
Francis Grimaldi as their chief, and he boldly offered his
person to secure the success of the enterprise.

On the 8th of January 1297 a monk approached the
gates of IMonaco. Apparently the guards were not very
observant for they should have noticed that the monk
wore shoes or boots. But they did not think of such
details ; and, deceived by the saintly garb of peace, let
the monk enter. No sooner was the gate open tlian the
monk drew a sword fi'om under his robes and, having
taken the guards completely by surprise, was able,
fighting desperately, to keep the gate open till his
followers, concealed close by, came rushing up and
poured into the town. The monk was Francis Grimaldi,
and thus Monaco was captured by Guelf partisans and
a member of the Grimaldi family. This explains the
presence of monks with drawn swoids defending the arms
of the house of Grimaldi.

Though I am aware that all is fair in love and war,
it does not seem to me, having read something of the
history of the Grimaldi family, that this stratagem was
one of their finest achievements. It is true that the

GRIIMALDI SEIZES MONACO 47

doctrines of peace and good will to all men, associated with
the religion to which monks are supposed to devote their
lives, were singularly neglected in these days. Nevertheless
monks' robes were not oi-iginally designed to conceal
swords carried with murderous intent. When, however,
I confided these doubts and scruples to the learned
archivist of the palace I found he was also well armed —
with a ready reply :

" You have not noticed," he observed, " that the monks
wear a sort of boot or shoe, and a monk who is not
barefooted is a fighting monk. He is simply a soldier who
is able to perform some priestly functions, and it is quite
fair for a soldier to penetrate into a fortress by any
stratagem he can devise."

Unfortunately some persons, ignoring this distinction,
have drawn the monks barefooted, which is very wrong
indeed. The morality of the story depends on the shoes.
The proud Scotch saying : " JMy foot is on my native
heath, and my name it is Macgregor," would therefore be
translated into Monegasque as, " My foot is in my shoe :
and my name is Grimaldi." The Macgregor plaid, formed
by simple alternate squares of red and black, becomes
in Monaco a plaid of alternate lozenges coloured red and
white. In both cases it is the chieftain who stands, naked
sword in hand, to secure for his tribe and for himself a
name and a habitat.

Modern historians maintain this was the first occasion
on which it can be proved that a Grimaldi was the master
of Monaco. In any case a Grimaldi had taken the fortress
at the point of the sword. No sooner were his followers
in possession of the stronghold than it became a refuge for
the remnants of the Guelf fleet. From this strategical
position they were able to harass the Genoese fleet now
in the hands of the Ghibellines. But Charles II. of Anjou
and Provence, who had abandoned the Guelfs, permitted
the Ghibellines to besiege Monaco. During this siege five
galleys from Monaco attacked with remarkable dash and
courage the port of Genoa. They were, however, out-

48 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

numbered, and the landing party captured. A sort of
compromise peace followed. Some leading Guelfs were
restored to their lands on condition that they paid tribute.
But Charles II. had brought from the Guelfs the land
they possessed at Monaco and handed it over to the
Spinola family of Geneva, who were partisans of the
Ghibellines. Though the Spinolas had no lordship rights
over Monaco they thus became the largest landowners,
and this made them powerful. Nevertheless Charles II.
also watched over the Guelf interests, for he now began
to understand that he should not have neglected those
Avho had rendered such great service to his father. Thus
old enemies were made to live side by side till hostilities
were renewed and the leading families once more led
their respective forces to war against each other.

It would require inuch time and space to describe the
fluctuating fortunes of these combatants, but it is in
no wise my purpose to write a detailed history of the
Grimaldis and the rival families with whom they con-
tended. Ha\dng explained how the Gi'imaldis established
their claim on Monaco, I will limit this brief historical
sketch, first, to occurrences that are of more than local
importance ; and secondly, as this book is written in
the English language, to such events as especially concern
English-speaking people. For a complete history of the
principality, the reader may be referred to the histories,
such as " Monaco et ses Princes," by Henri Mdtivier, of
the older school of historians ; and " Monaco, ses Origines
et son Histoire," by Gustave Saige, representing the
modern school. There are of course many others, and
even a few English histories, not always, I fear, free from
strong prejudices.

CHAPTER III

THE PRINCES OF MONACO IN THE WARS AGAINST ENGLAND

THERE is nothing to indicate that the earUer
populations inhabiting the Riviera came by sea and
were navigators. On the contrary, the geological
evidence goes to show that there was a wide plain stretch-
ing in front of the mountains before the sea was reached.
It is also supposed that a land connection existed with
Northern Africa, and this may account for the negroid
type of the Troglodyte skeletons found in the caverns at
Mentone. But putting aside the aborigines, and no one can
tell to what extent they have been obliterated, it is quite
certain that the commencement of modern civilisation is
due to the advent of essentially maritime peoples. First
the Phoenicians, who brought enlightenment from Tyre and
Sidon, and then the Phocians, with the glorious philosophy
and art of ancient Greece. The one race utilised Monaco
as its principal port, the other Marseilles. The first built
and the second maintained the great Heraklean Way. Thus
did they favour by land, as they had done by sea, inter-
course between the East and the West, between the
cradle of civilisation and the farthest confines of barbarism.
In the neighbourhood of Monaco there exists traces of
this road, now several thousand years old, and no thought-
ful person can stand where so many peoples and armies
have passed without feeling the deepest emotion. To
endeavour to picture all the services rendered by the
Heraklean road is to evoke the past of Western Europe
since the beginning of history.

As the world's interest and enterprise spread out
beyond the basin of the Mediterranean, the inhabitants,

D 49

50 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

especially of that part of the Riviera stretching from Nice
to Genoa, began to feel cramped for want of space. Genoa
especially, built on the side of arid mountains, seems as if
nature had planned to throw the town into the sea. In
front the sea has no boundary and places the whole world
within reach of the hardy mariner, but behind are only
inaccessible, steep and barren mountains. Even if the
Genoese were not by birth a sailor race they would have
been compelled by geographical and economic necessity
to become sailors. While the Germans, the French, the
English had still plenty of virgin soil to cultivate, in-
dustries to create and towns to build, the inhabitants of
the Riviera could only expand seawards. It is not surpris-
ing, therefore, that they devoted themselves principally to
maritime commerce. Rut if they started out to trade they
came back having learned how to fight. Valuables could
not be carried about with impunity. ITnder the pretext of
a war, or frankly as an act of piracy, such merchandise, if
not strongly protected, might be plundered. Rut land was
also infested by robbers. In many cases it was safer to
travel or to send merchandise by sea, and it was naturally
to the Mediterranean that the peoples of the world looked
for capable mariners. Prominent among these were the
Genoese.

The Crusades more than any other event helped to
develop the power and importance of the maritime people
living in the north-west of the Mediterranean. The
crusaders early learnt to mistrust the perfidious hospitality
of the Ryzantines, and in spite of storms and wrecks found
it much safer to proceed to the Holy Land by sea.
Therefore the various nations of Europe appealed, especi-
ally to the Genoese, for ships and for crews capable of
taking their crusaders to Palestine. For their own trade
purposes, the Genoese had already sailed as far as the
Levant and knew the road. Among the Genoese we must
include the Monegasques. Thus in 1104 a fleet of seventy
galleys was fitted out at Genoa for Hugues, brother of
Philippe I., King of France, and placed under the

EFFECT OF THE CRUSADES 51

command of Albert Grimaldi. Another Grimaldi com-
manded the fleet which conveyed to Egypt Jean de
Brienne, King of Jerusalem, and Andre II., King of
Hungary, who were the chiefs of the Fifth Crusade. The
capture of Damietta in 1219 was due in a large measure
to the fleet acting under the command of a Grimaldi.
Thus in the Hall of the Crusades at the palace of
Versailles the arms of the Grimaldis occupy a place of
honour.

In Europe such armaments as existed were organised
for war on land. In England, France and Germany the
feudal lords and noble families fought against each other
on land and paid but little attention to naval matters.
The experience acquired during the Crusades taught them
to look to the Italian republics for ships, to Venice, to
Pisa and especially to Genoa. Thus it was with mercenary
sailors and foreign fleets that many of the earlier naval
battles were fought. England, France and Germany very
largely depended on the Italian republics for their battle-
ships.

While Francis Grimaldi, in the guise of a monk, had
succeeded in capturing the fortress of Monaco, another
Grimaldi was rising to fame. This was Rainier, the son
of I.,anfranco, the eldest of the three sons of Grimaldo
Grimaldi, who, it will be remembered, from 1162 to 1184
held thrice the position of Consul of Genoa, and had
decided that henceforth Cirimaldi should be the family
name. Rainier (irimaldi was born in 12G7, and already
in 1296 had rendered great service to King Cliarles II. of
Anjou. As a sailor he had so often defeated the Cihibelline
galleys that his reputation spread far and wide. During
that time Philippe IV., called le lid. King of France, had
started a campaign against England worthy of Napoleon.
He conceived a policy of alliances for the purpose of
blockading England. From Sicily to the far reaches of the
Baltic, English trading vessels were to be excluded, and
he hoped to relegate England to a state of isolation that
would certainly have nothing glorious about it.

52 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

To a very large extent this policy was successfully
applied, and the position of England was becoming
desperate when King Edward I. discerned the weak
point of the attack. The Continental blockade, by isolating
England, was also destroying Flemish trade and pro-
sperity. Therefore in 1297 King Edward I. was able to
come to terms with Count Guy of Flanders. The Treaty
of Bruges, then concluded, conferred on English and
Flemish ships the monopoly of intercourse and trade
between England and the Continent. Thereupon Calais
and many French ports began to suffer. This led to
war. In Flanders a sort of revolution was taking place in
consequence of the wealth accumulated by the weavers,
artisans, tradesmen, merchants and industrial classes
generally. The old nobility were being gradually forced
into a secondary position and it gave them very great
offence. Profiting by this state of affairs, Philippe of
France intrigued with the Flemish aristocracy and
Edward of England flirted with the Flemish democracy.
When the rival parties came to blows, in 1302, the
Flemish people, led by a nobleman, a weaver and a
butcher, gave the combined Flemish and French aristo-
crats a good sound beating at Courtray. This was the
Battle of Spurs, for no fewer than two thousand golden
spurs were taken from the defeated aristocrats. The
difficulties caused by this and other defeats prompted the
French king to seek help on all sides. Rainier Grimaldi,
having already rendered great service to the French king,
Charles of Anjou and Sicily, was now asked to serve the
French king, Philippe.

Rainier Grimaldi accepted, and arrived off the coasts
of France with sixteen armed galleys. To these the King
of France added twenty vessels, imperfectly built and
manned. Rainier at once set to work to teach the French
sailors, and practised their 'prentice hands in the capture
of a few English ships. After such comparatively easy
exercises he started on the really serious business of en-
countering the Flemish fleet. The English in those days

RAINIER'S NAVAL VICTORY 53

were considered of little account, but the Dutch and
Flemish were real sailors. It Mas in August 1304 that
the great encounter took place off Zierikzee, at the mouth
of the Ooster Schelde. With an inferior fleet, but superior
seamanship, after prolonged desperate fighting. Rainier
Grinialdi utterly defeated the Flemish, and took prisoner
their chief, Guy de Dampierre. For this brilliant victory
he was appointed Admiral General of France, and given
the lordship of Villeneuve in Normandy.

A period of comparative peace ensued, interrupted by
fights and alarms, in which, however, the Monegasques
took no prominent part. At home, at Monaco and Genoa,
during tlie beginning of the fourteenth century it was
sometimes the Guelfs and Grimaldis and sometimes the
Ghibellines, with the help of the Spinolas and the Dorias,
who were the masters. \Vhen Admiral Rainier died, his
son Charles, who had also greatly distinguished himself
as a sea captain, assumed the uncontested headship of
the Grimaldi family. In 1336 a Monegasque fleet set out
on a remarkable expedition to the East, and captures
were made off' the coasts of Syi'ia and Egypt, Venetian
commerce being the objective. At last the Pope,
Benoit XII., had to intervene, and called upon King
Robert of Naples to keep the Monegasques in order.
This event is especially M'orth noting because the King of
Naples, who was also Ijord of Provence, was obliged to
admit that he held no jurisdiction and had no power over
Monaco. Thus we get one of the first official records of
the independence of Monaco.

At the same time the people of Genoa, wearied at
last, revolted against the Guelfs and the Ghibellines.
" A plague on both your houses ! " became the popular cry,
and an outsider, Boccanegra by name, was elected Doge.
With him the (irimaldis had an easier time, and could
afford to spare Charles Grimaldi, wlio had been called
upon to assist the French in the opening of what proved
to be the Hundred Years' War.

King Philippe V"I. of France, by allying himself with

54 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

the Duke I^ouis of Flanders against his rebelhous
subjects, ahenated the sympathies of an entire people ;
while King Edward III. of England showed no better
judgment by waging war against a popular hero such as
David Bruce and thus antagonising the Scottish people.
Philippe of France, under the pretext of yet another
Crusade, had obtained money and equipped a large fleet in
the south ; but instead of going to the Holy Land he sent
it north, to help the Scots. However surprising to the
modern Englishman, it appears that in those days, 1336,
the English Government had an excellently organised
Intelligence Department. They were so well and promptly
informed of these plans that they forestalled and frustrated
the French attempt to help the Scots. But if they could
not effect a landing in Scotland, the south of England
was open to them. Instead of guarding the coasts, English
sailors from Yarmouth were fighting and quarrelling with
their compatriots from the Cinq Ports. By this time the
French fleet was well organised in every respect except
that it had no reserve force. In the naval history of France
by Charles de la Ronciere, printed in 1899 with the aid
of the French Ministry of JMarine, the help given by the
Genoese and the Grimaldi family is fully acknowledged.
To this semi-official history I am indebted for much of
the following information. We are told that the King of
France asked help from the Dorias and the Spinolas, who
had fought for the Ghibellines, as well as from the Grimaldis
and the Fieschies, who were on the Guelf side. Each
faction had t^venty-eight galleys, and there were altogether
8560 men to man these Genoese and Monegasque ships.
Edward III. also made a bid for their assistance, and sent
Vice-Admiral Uso di Mari to try to buy them over.
Doria seemed inclined to treat, and two of the Grimaldi
ships deserted. There were delays, but ultimately the
joint Doria and Grimaldi fleets sailed round Gibraltar to
join the French forces.

Edward III. was then preparing a fleet of seventy ships
to invade Guienne, and another of two hundred vessels to

THE SACK OF SOUTHAMPTON 55

land troops in Flanders. While these preparations were
being made, the Genoese and Monegasque fleets, with
some French ships picked up on the way, appeared off"
Portsmouth. The inhabitants thought it was an English
fleet, and Portsmouth was captured without discharging
an arrow or striking a blow. Edward HI., in a letter to
the Governor of the Isle of A^'^ight, described the result
in two words : "incendiarism and pillage." ^ Nothing was
spared, and all the preparations to send reinforcements to
the Guienne fleet destroyed. Edward III., with his huge
fleet of two hundred ships, managed, however, to get over
to Flanders, and the French had to be content with sacking
the Anglo-Norman Channel Islands. Then five of the
best English ships and 1000 men were captured near
Middelbourg and brought to Calais. Greatly annoyed,
Jlidward III. called upon the Admirals Bardy and Drayton
to stop such French piracies.

In spite of these orders, on the .5th October 1338
fifty galleys rowed swiftly up the Southampton waters.
The French admiral. Hue Quieret, had offered a hundred
pounds tournois to whomsoever would first penetrate into
the town of Southampton, and his own men eagerly
clambered up the walls. The civil population of the town
was praying in the churches ; but on the ramparts the
soldiers were strong enough to hurl many Frenchmen
down. The position of the assailants was becoming des-
perate when Charles Grimaldi and Anton Doria arrived on
the scene. Shouting the Genoese battle-cry, they swept
the English off the ramparts. The town was at once given
ov^er to pillage and many dwellings were burned down.
After having slept in Southampton, to affirm their victory,
the French, Genoese and Monegasque sailors loaded their
ships heavily with booty and leisurely sailed away. Militia
from Winchester, Salisbury and I^ondon hiuried to
Southampton, but by the time they arrived the invaders
were nearing the port of Dieppe, where they landed their
plunder.

' Rymer, vol. ii,, part iv., p. 12.

56

MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

A few weeks later the French and Monegasque fleets
were at the mouth of the Thames. While cruising off
Margate four ships appeared from the south. Pursued,
the four ships prepared to fight, and the fleet, by which
they were now surrounded, summoned them to surrender
if English. But they replied they were not English. They
were convoying the King of Scotland, David liruce, who
was going, with some of the principal lords of his court,
to ask the King of France for help. The French, Genoese
and Monegasque sailors then respectfully and courteously
escorted the King of Scotland to Calais.

Now that the King of England and his fleet were away
in Flanders the French and Genoese ships were masters of
the Channel and free to invade England. This dangerous
state of affairs continued through the autumn of 1338. For-
tunately for the English, the French were not quick to seize
the opportunity. It was not till the following 23rd of
March 1339 that the Convention of Notables, assembled
at Vincennes, voted in favour of such an invasion. Still
nothing was done, as it was thought fit to refer this de-
cision to the States of the Provinces. The latter, however,
acted with some promptitude, for they had all ratified the
decision by the 25th of April. Even at that late hour a
competent leader might have been successful ; but court
influence rather than competence prevailed. Jean, son of
the French king, was named chief of the expedition, but
he was obviously unfitted for such a task. Nevertheless,
with the aid of the Monegasques and Genoese, the French
were so completely masters of the sea that they had
already drawn up a Domesday Book describing generally
how England was to be divided by its conquerors.
Among other details, only £20,000 rcA enue was to be left
to the English Church. But Pierre Royer, Archbishop
of Rouen, and subsequently Pope, under the name
of Clement VI., objected to the spoliation of an entire
people ; and all this talk of what was to be done with
England when annexed proved very harmful to the
French. The English did not fail to quote these proposals

PLUNDERING ENGLISH PORTS 57

extensively, and used them as a pretext to justify their own
action when they had an opportunity of invading France.

In the meanwhile petty attacks continued. English
ships were cut out of the ports of Bristol and Plymouth
and captured or destroyed. A landing party set fire to the
town of Harwich. Some French and 5lonegasque sailors,
with as many ships as composed the fleet which Charles
Grimaldi accompanied when he successfully stormed
Southampton, returned to that port, but they were badly
received. They were told to land and rest for two days
and then the English would fight them, ten against ten,
twenty against twenty, whatever number they might
prefer. It is said that the French would have accepted
this proud challenge, but the INIonegasques did not look
upon it as good business. They contented themselves with
making descents on Hastings, the Isle of Thanet, Dover
and Folkestone, which they were able to plunder with
comparative facility. They returned to Calais on the
2nd of .June, and were accorded a triumphal entry. But
these sailors had disgraced themselves by the cruelties
they perpetrated on the English coasts. They exhibited
to the people at Calais ears, fingers and other human
trophies which had been cut off their English victims.
French historians themselves acknowledge and blame this
brutality. They even find in this cruelty an explanation
of the bitterness Edward III. felt towards the people of
Calais and of his desire to hang six of the most notable
citizens of that town.

The time for such revenge was now approaching. The
French had wasted their opportunity. English ships, no
longer detained in the Flemish ports, were reappearing
in the Channel, and the democratic allies of the English
king were ready to take the offensive. Jacques d'Arteveld,
the brewer, and popular leader, was willing to lead the
sturdy Flemish people on to Calais and thus second the
efforts of the English ships as they lay off Wissant. The
French fleet by itself was not sufficiently numerous to
offer much resistance, for the Ghibellines had selected

58 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

this moment to desert the French cause. Thereupon their
pay was stopped. Of course the sailors protested noisily.
A few of the more disorderly among them were arrested
and imprisoned. The Ghibelline Genoese galleys now set
sail for Genoa, stopping at various ports on their way and
relating that the French had incarcerated and ill-treated
some of their comrades. At Boulogne-sur-Mer, however,
they met some Genoese or Monegasques of the Guelf
party, the followers of Charles Grimaldi, who took up the
other side of the argument. The people rose, not knowing
exactly for what cause, and the Genoese sailors profited
by the general disorder to proclaim a Ligurian Republic
at Boulogne-sur-Mer !

The quiet little port, which of late years has become
the most English town out of England, was thus suddenly
transformed into a minor Monaco, with Guelf and
Ghibelline quarrelling for mastership. A Ghibelline doge
was elected, Avho maintained at Boulogne in the far north
of France, and within twenty-seven miles of Folkestone,
the Law of Exile against the Guelfs which had been
enacted at Genoa. What Englishman would to-day
imagine that Monegasque politics were fought out so
near to the cliffs of Dover ?

Of course the Guelfs would not submit, and the
French Government was too busy with the Avar against
England to trouble about these local disputes. Indeed the
French were at that time meditating a descent on the
herring fishing fleet when it assembled at Yarmouth. By
capturing or slaughtering the crews of these fishing boats
they would destroy the recruiting ground for the
English war galleys. On the 8th of September 1339
Charles Grimaldi, having received the pay for his fleet,
and being reinforced by some French ships, started
to attack the herring boats. Grandiloquent promises
were made that a hundred English ships would be
captured and no fewer than four hundred towns raided
and destroyed. In this there was much talk and little
execution. A violent storm wrecked some of the ships.

L'ECLUSE: ENGLISH VICTORY 59

Then, as the Enghsh and the Flemish were penetrating
into the north of France, it occurred to the fleet that
the ships would be best employed removing arms and
valuables from the northern ports before the invading
forces arrived. Thus the allied fleets undertook the modest
but useful functions of a floating pantechnicon.

This done, the Grimaldi naval division and what
remained of the Doria ships were ordered back to the
Mediterranean, to defend in those waters the French
mercantile fleet. It was in great need of protection. Thus
the Monegasques and their kindred, the Genoese partisans
of the Ghibellines, got away in time to escape any responsi-
bility or participation in the great disaster which was
about to befall the French arms. Of the enormous fleet of
two hundred and two ships the French had gathered to-
gether there only remained a very small Genoese contingent
under Captain Barbavera. The great battle of rEcluse, by
which the English gained the command of the Channel,
is so well known in history that it is only necessary to say
that Barbavera, at least, foresaw the disaster.

Barbavera was on outpost duty and sent the following
message: — "^ly lords, here is the King of England and
his fleet coming against us. Haste to reach the open sea
with all your ships ; if you remain here, the English, who
have the wind in their favour, the sun and the tide, will
so hem you in that you will not be able to defend your-
selves."

Following his own advice, Barbavera and his ships
gained the open sea and thus escaped from the clutches of
the approaching English fleet. The French ships did not
act upon this wise counsel : they remained in the Scheldt,
and were nearly all destroyed.

Nothing, however, of any importance followed upon
the great English victory of rEchise. Of course, and that
was important enough in itself, England was now free
from the danger of invasion ; but tlie victory was not
followed up, and indeed a truce of nine months was
concluded in September 1340. During that interval the

60 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

French not only endeavoured to reconstitute their naval
forces but they once more and most urgently implored
Charles Grimaldi to come to their aid.

In April 1341 Jean III. of Brittany died. The King 1

of France repudiated the Salic Law, by which he himself
had come to the throne, and supported the claims of Jean's
niece, Jeanne, who had married Charles de Blois ; while
Edward III., for no better reason than a desire to quarrel,
supported the claim of the late Jean's third brother, Jean
de Alontfort. Brittany had no navy, but the Monegasque
division had managed to sail through the Straits of
Gibraltar in spite of the wintry weather. It numbered
twenty good war-vessels, with some minor craft, and
assisted at the siege of Chateaureaux. Then it helped to
bring about the capitulation of Nantes, when the English
candidate, Jean de Montfort. was taken prisoner.

The English now gathered an army at Portsmouth, and
there prepared to sail for Brittany, under a new banner,
which de la Ronciere in his naval history treats some-
what disrespectfully. It represented a St George bearing
the arms of England and slaughtering a dragon. But we
are told that this mystic effigy did not begin its career in
a promising manner, for it was the dragon that defeated
St George. The Comtesse de Montfort had gathered some
troops at Northampton and was bringing them to France
to rescue her captured husband. But Anthony Doria,
cruising off Guernsey in mid August 1342, spied an
English fleet of forty-six sail approaching. Soon a duel
began between the English archers and the Genoese cross-
bowmen. On coming to close quarters, the Comtesse de
Montfort, "who was worth a man because she had the heart
of a lion," repelled the attempt to board her ship, but
suddenly a great darkness spread over the skies. Such a
thunderstorm ensued that the chroniclers of the epoch de-
clare it seemed as if the world was coming to an end. None
was so brave but he wished to be back safe on land, says
Froissart. INIost of the ships seem to have sought safety
from the storm rather than victory over the enemy. In

CHARLES GRI]\IALDI AT CRECY 61

this flight from the storm four English ships, however,
were captured. In their turn, a httle later, the English
inflicted some loss on Grimaldi's fleet near Morlaix.
Nevertheless the English were obliged to abandon their
attempt to blockade the coasts of Brittany.

The war dragged on without any great event till
Charles Grimaldi was persuaded to gather yet another
fleet, numbering this time thirty-two galleys and 7000
men. On the other hand, he was inexplicably slow in
bringing his fleet from the Mediterranean to the Channel.
By generously compensating tlie shipowners who had lost
their vessels at the battle oilKcbise, Philippe VI. of France
managed to get another fleet together, and something
might have been done had not the Monegasque contingent
wasted so much time in coming. The news that a large
English fleet was about to sail arrived before Grimaldi's
fleet. The latter had lost time at Nice, Marseilles and
Majorca. On his side, Edward III,, by skilful manoeuvr-
ing, succeeded in landing and taking the town of Caen, in
Normandy.

If Charles Grimaldi had not arri\ ed in time to partici-
pate in a great naval battle, which after all did not take
place, he was in time to play a gallant part in the battle
of Crecy. This celebrated battle was fought on the 26th
of August 1346, and the Genoese crossbowmen under
Charles Grimaldi and Anthony Doria were placed in the
first line. They were already exhausted by a long march,
yet no time was given them to rest. The strings of their
crossbows were wet and loosened by the rain which had
recently fallen. The English archers had taken the pre-
caution to keep their strings dry. The English arrows hit
the mark, the bolts from the Genoese crossbows fell short.
What with fatigue and inefficient weapons, the Genoese
began to lose ground. Instead of realising the special
difficulties of their position, King Philippe cruelly ordered
his cavalry to ride down upon the Genoese. " Kill these
canaille !" he shouted, "they bar our road for no reason."
The French knights galloped over the Genoese, but they

62 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

themselves soon fell under the relentless hail of English
arrows. The English had also wooden guns, which threw
stone balls. The latter did not do much harm, but the
noise of the explosions frightened the horses and thus
the first use of artillery in battle did add considerably to
the confusion of the enemy. After their cruel ingratitude
to their good allies the Genoese, the French merited the
very severe chastisement they then received at the hands
of the English. Charles Grimaldi was desperately wounded
and left for dead on the field of battle. Nevertheless he
recovered.

Not very long after the battle of Crecy, when besieging
Calais, Edward III. had the mortification of seeing the
ships with which he was blockading the port attacked and
captured by Grimaldi's galleys.' But the siege of Calais
continued, with all its horrors and heroisms. The French
naval forces, badly handled, were of little help, and
ultimately Calais capitulated. It was but a poor revenge
for the French fleet to land some troops in Devonshire and
destroy the town of Budleigh.

In 1350 what is known as the naval battle of Winchel-
sea was won by the English against the Spanish allies of
France, and Peter, the new King of Castille, at once signed
a treaty of peace with Edward III. This was the final
blow to the policy of Philippe de V^alois, and he died
shortly afterwards, on 22nd August 1350.

His successor, Jean II., has often been adversely
criticised, but, in any case, he appreciated the import-
ance of reviving the French navy, and even of arming
the ships with cannon. Then for the first time the
record was made of the number of guns carried by
a ship.

In 1355 Rainier Grimaldi, the grandson of the first
Rainier, whose exploits have been described, arrived with
twenty-four galleys and 6000 crossbowmen. Again there
was lack of organisation on the French side, and this led
to the disaster of Poictiers when the Black Prince, in

' RjToaer, vol. ii., part iv., p. 205.

THE SECOND RAINIER 63

April 1357, took prisoner the French king, Jean II., and
most of his knights.

On the 20th of May a truce of two years was arranged.
The French bourgeoisie now began to exert themselves.
They had been driven to the conclusion that the aristo-
cracy were not heaven-sent rulers, and that the modest
tradesmen and craftsmen might manage matters just as
well, if not better. They therefore took upon themselves
to equip a fleet to deliver their king, Jean, II. This French
bourgeois fleet duly sailed in 1360. It crossed over to
Portsmouth, hesitated, and finally overwhelmed whatever
English ships could be found near Winchelsea. The
French force then landed and took the town of Winchel-
sea by assault, but fearing reprisals they returned to
Boulogne. This demonstration was not without effect, for
shortly after the Treaty of I^ondon was signed, by which
Jean II. regained his liberty and a truce was concluded.

By the time the truce was over, Charles V., the Wise,
was on the French throne, and he at once set to work
to reconstitute the French fleet. Like his predecessors, he
turned to the INIediterranean ports, and especially to
Monaco. In response, Rainier Grimaldi fitted out four
galleys. In the Channel he met a squadron under Robert
Assheton, who was taking Charles le Mauvaif;, King of
Navarre, back to Cotentin. After desperate fighting one of
the English ships was captured and all on board perished
by the swoi-d. The ship was a fine vessel of one hundred
and eighty tons. It was sold for prize money in Normandy.
As a reprisal the English, in August 1330, captured ships
belonging to Andre Spinola and d'Oberto Squarziafico and
the Genoese boats liaijurd and Le Vent.

The arrival of Rainier Grimaldi was opportune, and
English sliips were destroyed near Gospoi-t and South-
ampton. During the many raids the Monegasques made
on the coasts of England an incident occurred which
became legendary. Many more important events are com-
pletely forgotten ; this has remained a popular story. The
ship commanded by Rainier Grimaldi was driven ashore.

64 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Saige says this occurred at the Isle of Wight ; La
llonciere and " La Chronique des Quatres Premiers Valois"
say it was near Sandwich. In any case, some EngUsh
soldiers came up and asked to whom the galley belonged.
Rainier (Trimaldi replied: "To the king of France." "Then,"
returned the soldiers, " surrender the galley to the King of
France and of England." " What is his name?" shouted
Grimaldi. " Edward," was the answer. " Edward ! " ex-
claimed Grimaldi. " That is not the name of the King of
France; he is called Charles, and to him only will we
give up our ship." Thereupon the English soldiers attacked
the galley, but were driven off till the rising tide floated
the ship once more and Grimaldi victoriously sailed away.
Subsequently Rainier Grimaldi was employed to convoy
merchant ships sailing up or down the Channel. On one
occasion, with only a few ships and 1200 men, he
threatened Southampton, not really with a view of attack-
ing the town, now jealously guarded, but as a diversion to
retain in England John of Lancaster, who was arming
11,000 men to pass over to Calais. The Duke of Lancaster,
however, was not deterred from going to France. Indeed,
his fleet subsequently captured Rainier Grimaldi himself.
This happened in the spring of 1375, and Edward III.
thought so much of the capture that, according to
Rymer, he bought the prisoner for 12,000 golden francs.
The entry made of this transaction is thus worded :
" Renier Grymbaud, genevoys, prisonner of Rauf Basset
of Drayton."

Shortly after this event a truce of two years was signed
at Bruges, in June 1375. When, in 1377, the war was re-
newed, the French fleet, with the aid of Rainier Grimaldi,
now liberated, won a great naval battle off" Rye, but
quarrelled among themselves afterwards. One party wished
to occupy Rye permanently and make it the Calais of
England and the basis for future invasions. Ultimately
they effected a landing at the mouth of the Ouse, at
Rottindean, and there, after some fighting, took prisoner
a number of English soldiers. It was from these prisoners

RAIDS ON ENGLISH COASTS 65

that the French first heard of the death of Edward III.
and the accession of Richard II. After burning the town
of Lewis, the French and Rainier Grimaldi took to the
sea again. They pillaged Portsmouth, Dartmouth and
Plymouth, and they overran the Isle of Wight, with the
exception of Carisbrooke Castle ; where the governor,
Hagues Tyrrel, held out bravely. Instead, however, of
pillaging the island, the French and the Monegasques
accepted a ransom of 1000 marks (" Chronicon Anglite,"
p, 166). For many years the shores of England remained
exposed to sudden naval incursions. Even Gravesend was
captured and burned to the ground. The inhabitants of
London had good reason, and on more than one occasion,
to be seriously alarmed. Du Guesclin and Jean de V^ienny,
the two principal French admirals, were remarkably
successful in spreading terror along the English coasts.

It is not clear at what precise moment Rainier
Grimaldi got tired of fighting for the French, but he had
already departed when the truce of 1389 was signed.
Also by this time there had arisen plenty of trouble
at home, for the Barbary pirates resumed their old habit
of raiding the Riviera coasts. Genoese and Monegasques
were now asking for French help against these old
adversaries.

Later on, however, when, in 1415, Henry V. of England,
with a large fleet, appeared at the mouth of the Seine, the
French once again appealed for maritime help to the
Genoese and Monegasques. While Henry V. besieged
Harfleur, boats were collected higher up the Seine, but,
in spite of a gallant attack, they could not relieve the
besieged town. Harfleur having capitulated, Henry V.
marched his much reduced and distressed army towards
Calais. Meeting the superior French forces on the road,
he won, in most disadvantageous circumstances, tlie
brilliant and decisive victory of Agincourt (25th October
1415). Thomas Beaufort, Earl of Dorset, had been left
in command of the English ships at Harflem-. But in
the spring of 1416 a French fleet, under Guillaume de

66 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Montenay, six galleys under Nicolas Grimaldi, and eight
large ships built in the Portuguese style, with as many
galleys from Genoa, under the command of Jean Spinola
and Janus Grimaldi, came upon the scene. These ships
seized a number of English transports bringing provisions
and reinforcements for the English armies in France. In
one of these encounters, Janus Grimaldi was killed.

Subsequently Guillaume de Montenay and Nicolas
Grimaldi, with the ships they had gathered together at
Honfleur, sailed for Southampton to attack the English
fleet which was to bring provisions to Harfleur. Twice
before Southampton they made unsuccessful efforts to fire
the English fleet, and then some of their ships were
wrecked by a fierce storm. Finally an important naval
action took place in the Seine between Honfleur, Harfleur
and Chef de Caux. The Genoese greatly distinguished
themselves. Nevertheless the English were victorious, and
got their provisions into Harfleur. At another naval
battle, which took place in June 1417, the French and
Genoese were again defeated by the English and the ships
of Gaspar Spinola and other Genoese taken. The dispersal
of the French fleet now enabled the English to occupy
Honfleur, and thus they became masters of both sides of
the mouth of the Seine.

When, twenty years later, the fortunes of war favoured
France once more, and the English were not only driven
out of France but so lost control of the Channel that
England was menaced with starvation, we hear nothing
more of the Monegasques and the Genoese. Probably they
were not wanted to share the fruits of victory ; their part
had been to supply help in the hours of defeat.

r

i

CHAPTER IV

MONACO TIIX THE END OF THE SPANISH DOMINATION

WHII^E the first Rainier, Charles, and the second
Rainier were warring against the Enghsh and
the Flemish in the Channel and the North Sea,
the Grimaldi family was consolidating its hold on Monaco.
In the description of the wars the term ISIonegasque has
perhaps been employed somewhat too early, chronologic-
ally speaking. Indeed it might even be maintained that
there are no Monegasques, and that the term at most
only signifies a geographical division between members of
one and tiie same race. Undoubtedly it would be difficult
to define by a precise line where the Genoese people is
replaced by the Provenc^'al people ; and, within the
Genoese frontier, the subdivision that separates the
Monegasques from the Genoese. For my part I have
classified as Monegasques the inhabitants of ^lonaco and
the neighbouring estates belonging to the Grimaldis.
Subsequently these retainers of the Grimaldi family
consolidated and became the subjects of a principality,
with a Grimaldi as its chief. Racially there does not seem
to be a marked difference between them and the Genoese,
but politically their status differed more and more as the
making of Europe progressed. It is true that the counts
of Provence claimed that their lands extended to \^inti-
mille, and it cannot be said that the Provencal people,
with their special language and literature, are the same as
the Genoese. The claim, however, was never maintained
for long. In fact it might be argued that the Monegasques
must have differed from their neighbours by reason of the
readiness with which these latter were willing to barter
67

68 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

them away whenever there was any chance of making
a bargain. Thus in 1174 Raymond, Count of Toulouse
and Marquis of Provence, offered to make over Monaco
and other Provencal territory to Genoa if the Genoese
would help him to recover his rights over Provence. Then
in 1191, when the Emperor Henry VI. wished to fight the
people of Provence, he also made a present of Monaco
to the commune of Genoa. Later, in 1241, Raymond
Beranger V., Count of Provence, yielded his rights over
Monaco to the Genoese Republic. Thus it does seem that
originally Monaco was considered as a part of Provence,
but it is doubtful whether this is sufficient to justify the
conception that the Monegasques always have been
different from their neighbours, the Genoese on one side
and the Proven(;'als on the other. Again, in 1262, Charles
d'Anjou, as Count of Provence, confirmed the handing
over of Monaco to the Genoese and the latter, now secure
in their possession of Monaco, granted the ISIonegasques
the large measure of Home Rule already described. But
this security of possession was soon to be shaken, though
not by any outside event or foreign pressure.

The Grimaldis were the principal family in the neigh-
bourhood of Monaco, and they took sides with the Guelfs.
When, in 1296, this party was defeated, the Guelfs and
Grimaldis were exiled from Genoa. We have seen,
however, that Francis Grimaldi returned ; and by dis-
guising himself as a monk succeeded in surprising the
garrison and taking the fortress of Monaco. Thus Monaco
became independent, being in rebellion against Genoa and
no longer claimed by the counts of Provence. Of course
the Genoese would not accept this situation, and in 1298
laid siege to Monaco. The result, as already related, was a
sort of compromise peace.

After this for many years the fate of Monaco fluctua-
ated with that of the Guelf party. So far as the Grimaldis
were concerned. King Charles II. of Anjou, having
bought property possessed by Guelf partisans at Monaco
and in the neighbourhood, made, in 1301, a present of it

ENGLISH SPOILS BUY MONACO 69

to Nicolas Spinola. The latter was the chief of the
principal rival family to the Grimaldis, and the Spinolas
also fought on the other side — that is, for the Ghibellines.
But in 1341 this matter was finally settled in quite a
prosaic manner. Charles Grimaldi, in the intervals of his
wars against England, simply bought all the lands which
Nicolas Spinola possessed in JNIonaco. The price paid, it
is said, was 1280 golden florins, which is a large sum as
money went in those days ; but after sacking Southamp-
ton, and several other English towns, Charles Grimaldi
could well afford this little extravagance. He also bought
the lordships of Castillon, in the diocese of Vintimille, of
Roquebrune, of Menton and of Eze. The latter was then
considered to be part of Provence.

How many pleasure-seekers on their holiday jaunts
think, as they gaze at the romantic walls and battlements
of Monaco, or admire the quaint old palace still occupied
by the Grimaldis, that this family, the oldest reigning
family in Europe, first made itself distinguished by
sweeping the English off the sea ; and, what at the
time was much more difficult, annihilating the fleet of
the Flemish in their own waters, the Scheldt. To the
Grimaldis, Rainier, Charles and the second Rainier the
English should feel deeply indebted. They taught us
most effectively that an island cannot be defended
without a strong fleet. When Hrst he came on the scene.
Rainier Grimaldi trained his inexperienced French
recruits by setting them upon the English ships. It is
worth repeating that the only real sailors were the
Flemish, and therefore Rainier sent his untrained hands
to acquire necessary skill and strength by attacking the
badly equipped and inefficiently manned English ships.

Those who governed England, the feudal lords, were
far too busy with intrigues and internecine conflicts to
think of building up an efficient navy. A navy must be
a national institution, and the feudal system was better
suited to local efforts. Indeed the idea of nationality grew
as the feudal system declined.

70 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Strange though it may seem, after so long a lapse of
centuries, there is still a Grimaldi living in what remains
of the fortress that Francis Grimaldi surprised and
captured in 1297. What may be accounted even more
surprising is the fact that the Grimaldi of to-day, like his
ancestors six hundred years ago, is once again giving the
world lessons in matters relating to the sea. But the
world has moved in the interval. Other and better ideals
have arisen. The pen has proved itself mightier than the
sword and the light of science is preferred to the flash of
arms. It is with the creation of a new science, the science
of oceanography, that the present Grimaldi is concerned,
and this he combines with active propaganda in the cause
of peace. But are we absolutely certain that there was not
underlying those fierce combats of the Grimaldis some
vague ideal of peace ? The quarrel was between Guelf and
Ghibelline, but it may be that there were on both sides
combatants who entertained a dim hope of bringing
about an era of universal peace and concord.

The world did not wait for the advent of Victor Hugo
to realise that this end would best be attained by es-
tablishing the United States of Europe. At the time now
under consideration the great struggle was between two
rival powers each striving to carry out this very policy.
On one side there was the Church of Rome seeking
universal dominion, and among other means to that end
very wisely endeavouring to establish Latin as the
universal language. This of course meant the states of
Europe federated under a theocracy. Others equally in
favour of union desired a political and secular union. To
them Charlemagne represented the nearest approach to
success, and they strove to reconstitute the Roman
Empire. In this struggle between Emperor and Pope
the Ghibellines sided with the Emperor ; the Guelfs,
among whom were the Grimaldis and those who became
Monegasques, sided with the Pope. Judged according to
the modern aspect of politics and the actual meaning
given to words, the Guelfs would be clericals and re-

I

!

UNITED STATES OF EUROPE 71

actionists. But it may be argued that in those days
clericahsm was much more closely allied to progress than
at present. On the other hand, princes were little better
than pirates. The Church could never have acquired the
power and popularity it enjoyed for several centuries if,
on the whole, it had not protected the people against
tyranny and many abuses. This, in any case, was the view
taken by the Guelfs and their Grimaldi followers.

Beneath the broad mantle of religion the peoples of
the world might possibly be brought together. Under the
threat of eternal punishment and the promise of ever-
lasting bliss they might be induced to forgo the love of
revenge, to sink worldly differences, to forget personal
ambitions, and unite to bring about an era of peace and
good will to all men. But could such unity of purpose and
action be secured under the crown of an emperor ? Then
who should be this one sovereign of the world ? It is only
at rare intervals in history that a Charlenuigne appears
who can command the suffrages of all. The result showed
that the world was not ripe for such counsel of perfection.
Of the two, the Papacy rather than the Imperial throne
was nearer success ; but both were sadly out of keeping
with the ideal.

During the fourteenth century the Genoese on
several occasions occupied and administered Monaco. The
Grimaldis then lived on their other estates at JNIentone,
Castillon and Cagnes. On one occasion the Grimaldis of
Beuil seized INIonaco, though they had no legal claim, and
managed to keep possession of it from 1395 to 14.01.
They were then driven out by Marshal Boucicaut,
Governor of Genoa. The Genoese themselves, however,
revolted and overthrew their governor. Then Monaco
appealed to King Louis II. of Anjou, who sent a few
soldiers to protect the town against the Genoese. Ten
years afterwards the Guelfs regained power at Genoa and
in June 1419 the sons of Rainier were able to return to
Monaco, from which the family had been exiled for
sixty-two years. But the Grimaldis had been driven out

72 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

of Monaco because they were partisans of the Guelfs.
The RepubUc of Genoa continued to allow the
Monegasques to enjoy Home Rule and various commer-
cial privileges. In a truce signed in 1412 between King
Louis IL of Anjou and Genoa, Monaco figures as an
independent community in alliance with the King of
Sicily. In 1424 and 1426 other treaties recognised Monaco
as independent.

At the death of the second Rainier, in 1407, he left
three sons, Ambroise, Antoine and Jean ; who, when
they became masters of Monaco, made the extraordinary
arrangement to reign each in his turn for one year. Their
first care was to renew all the treaties concluded by Charles
Grimaldi to ensure the independence of Monaco. But
having taken part in a M^ar againt the Duke of Milan
they Avere severely defeated. The Duke of Savoy desired
to see Monaco destroyed, and a Milanese garrison
occupied the town, which was thus again lost to the
Grimaldis.

Jean Grimaldi, however, Avas a great sailor, and he was
employed by Francisco Sforza to fight the Venetians on
the Po. Here he won a fierce battle, against the celebrated
Carmagnola, on the 23rd JSIay 1431. In 1436 he was
restored to Monaco, but as a vassal of the dukes of
Milan. During Jean's absence from Monaco, the Duke of
Savoy suddenly made a descent upon the town, and by
treachery he also took Jean prisoner. But Pomelline
Fregose, Jean Grimaldi's wife, was a heroine. She organ-
ised the defence ; and even when, to intimidate her, her
husband was brought under the walls she refused to
surrender. He had sent a message that if his captors killed
him under the ramparts still she was not to yield. In the
face of such resistance the Duke of Savoy abandoned his
enterprise and the next year he released his prisoner, who
then returned to Monaco. A year later (1440) the Duke
of Milan renounced his overlordship of Monaco, which
now became absolutely independent.

The policy of Jean was based on faithful devotion to

MOTHER-IN-LAW'S PLOT 73

Philippe- Marie Visconti, whom the Genoese had chosen
as their governor. When, however, Visconti died, Jean
Grimaldi, now advanced in years, sought protection from
his old enemy the Duke of Savoy. He offered in exchange
for such protection the lordship, not over Monaco, but
over a part of Mentone and all Roccabruna. This act
was destined to lead to many difficulties and troubles in
the future. .Jean also contemplated selling Monaco itself to
the Dauphin, son of Charles VI L, for 15,000 golden ecus,
but this sum was never paid ; the Dauphin, having
abandoned the idea of invading Italy, had no need to buy
Monaco. At Jean's death the first act of his son, Catalan
Grimaldi, was to repudiate this treaty.

Before dying, Jean Grimaldi made a will establishing
the order of succession. This was to be by primogeniture
to male heirs. Women were only to succeed in the
absence of any male heir, and on condition that their
husbands took the arms and name of the Grimaldis.

Catalan reigned only three years, and died in 1457,
when but forty-two years old. Of his three children, only
a young girl named Claudine Grimaldi survived. Before
his death Catalan decided that his daughter, Claudine,
should marry I^ambert Grimaldi, brother of Gaspar, Lord
of the Antibes. So far as the family property was con-
cerned the arrangement was admirable, but Claudine was
only six years old and her future husband had already
attained the ripe age of forty-two. During Claudine's
minority her grandmother Pomelline conspired against her
future grandson-in-law because the population of Monaco
wished him to assume the reins of governinent at once. An
attempt was even made to seize Lambert by force. The
future grandmother-in-law sought to imprison, some say
to murder, her future grandson-in-law. Fortunately, he got
wind of the conspiracy, escaped and, returning with a
superior force, first gave the conspirators a good beating
and then proceeded to incarcerate Pomelline. She was,
however, allowed to live in her own house at Mentone,
where she was kept prisoner and carefully guarded. Lam-

74 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

bert married Claudine in 1465, and in spite of the dis-
proportion in age they Hved happily together. Lambert
reigned till 1494 and displayed great diplomatic skill in
maintaining the independence of Monaco. Not only was
this independence generally admitted but it was recognised
in the treaties signed by some of the principal powers.

We now approach a period of history which might
well be dramatised. Those who love the old-fashioned
melodrama would here find ample materials, and " The
Tragic Widow ; a Romance of Monaco " might be a
suitable title. The widow is Claudine, who lived to see
three of her sons murdered. The first to reign was Jean II.
He is the first Prince of Monaco mentioned in history
as having encouraged the fine arts, and pictures com-
missioned by him are still to be seen in the cathedral of
Monaco. He also greatly embellished the palace. But he
was not skilful in diplomacy. His tendency was to defy
everybody, and he made enemies on all sides. The diffi-
culties this occasioned were so great that in his extremity
he thought of selling Monaco to the \'enetians. On the
11th of October 1505, when dining with his mother in
their castle at Mentone, a quarrel arose between Jean II.
and his brother Lucien on this subject. No one knows
what happened except that daggers were drawn, Jean II.
was stabbed and fell dying at his mother's feet. It is urged
that Lucien cannot have been so very much to blame, for,
while deeply lamenting the loss of her son Jean, Claudine
bore no ill-will towards Lucien, and made no opposition to
his entering into possession of the estate as the head of
the family.

The very next year the Genoese determined to put an
end to the independence of Monaco and then began the
greatest of the many sieges which that town has had to
endure. Lucien, with the aid of his young brother, Charles,
and Barthelemy Grimaldi, organised a heroic resistance.
The siege lasted one hundred and two days, and artillery
was brought to bear upon the walls for the first time. A final
assault was made on the 19th of March 1507. A breach had

THE TRAGIC WIDOW T5

been effected in the wall at Serravalle, where to-day the old
tower overlooks the road to Nice just behind the palace.
But fresh works had been rapidly constructed behind the
breach, and after a stubborn hand-to-hand fight the enemy
was beaten off. In despair they raised the siege. This
magnificent resistance on the part of the Monegasques
had the inconvenience of making Louis XII. of France
realise the importance of iVlonaco, and he at once pro-
ceeded, by means both fair and foul, to make sure that, in
the event of a war, Monaco should be on tlie French side.
The celebrated JNIachiavelli also realised the new situation,
and we hear of his visiting JNIonaco on behalf of the
Florentine maritime interests in JNIay 1511. Ferdinand
the Catholic likewise began to bestow favours and
attentions upon Lucien. This may account for the solemn
recognition of the independent sovereignty of JNIonaco by
Louis Xn. in 1512. Lucien as an independent sovereign
thereupon proceeded to coin money in his own name.

The Dorias, and more distant relatives of the Grimaldi
family, however, were so jealous that Barthelemy and
Andre Doria conspired to overthrow Lucien. The details
of this plot would make an excellent play. On 22nd
August 1528 we have the arrival of Barthelemy at
Monaco under the guise of friendship ; his conscience,
however, is so disturbed that he refuses to accompany
Lucien to church. After dinner Barthelemy on some
pretext draws Lucien away from his followers to a distant
part of the palace, where the conspirators are in waiting.
Here the prince is murdered, and the conspirators make
themselves masters of tlie lower part of the palace. They
seek to gain the upper floors, from which to signal to the
fleet of ships anchored in the port — the fleet of the Dorias
— to send to their assistance a force with which they may
capture the town. By this time, however, the subjects of
Lucien have completely recovered from their surprise.
They defend the approaches to the second floor and
prevent the signal from being given. At this moment
Augustin Grimaldi, brother of Lucien, and the next heir,

76 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

arrives from Cannes. He rallies the Monegasques, and the
conspirators are about to be put to the sword. But they
have had the foresight, at the moment when they became
masters of the situation, to lay hands upon Jeanne de
Pontevis, the wife of Lucien, and her children. Holding
knives to her breast, they threaten her and her children
with instant death if they are not allowed to leave
unmolested. The conditions must be granted, and the
conspirators safely retire. Thus Lucien, who murdered his
brother, falls by the assassin's dagger in his turn.

Claudine's third son now assumed the sovereignity
of JNIonaco, and he too came to an untimely end. In
his case it was not the assassin's knife but the more
treacherous poison of a murderous political opponent. At
this time Charles the Fifth of Spain was the principal
monarch in Europe. This great ruler thought Monaco of
sufficient importance for him to pay Prince Augustin
a personal visit. When on his way to be crowned at
Bologna, Charles V. disembarked at Monaco on the 5th
August 1529 and proceeded by land to Genoa. He was
accompanied by Angustin Grimaldi and Honor^, the son
of Lucien, who was then only seven years old.

These friendly relations ended in the establishment of
the Spanish protectorate. The princes of JSlonaco were to
render feudal homage to the Emperor Charles V., but
Monaco was to retain its autonomy as an independent
principality. This is set forth in the document known as
the Declaration of Tordesillas. But it was not without
reluctance that the Spanish victories and the force of
complex circumstances, which it would require much time
to explain, led Augustin to turn from France to Spain for
protection. To the last he entertained the hope of return-
ing to France, and continued negotiations with this view.
Perhaps these intrigues may account for his sudden death,
so sudden as to have caused the conviction that it was
due to poison.

Honort^ I., son of the murdered Lucien, was only ten
years old when he succeeded his uncle, Augustin. The time

SPANISH GARRISON 77

of his minority was far from tranquil ; it was occupied by-
plots and counterplots as to who should be his tutor. Then
there was trouble with the Spaniards, who now insisted
on keeping a garrison at Monaco under the pretext that
the French were about to attack the town. Thus there
was an Imperial Resident, Valenzulea by name, command-
ing Spanish soldiers, who did not feel at all disposed to
respect the autonomy of INIonaco and its princes. Etienne
Grimaldi, who ultimately obtained the tutorship of the
young Prince Honore, resisted these encroachments so
well that, when Honore became of age, Etienne was asked
to continue governing in the capacity of Honore's *' elected
father" and of Gubernant, ov governor. Etienne showed
himself a very able administrator and greatly improved
Monaco. He constructed, among other things, the great
cistern, which holds 1700 cubic metres of rain-water, azid
which enabled Monaco to endure long sieges. The twelve
arcades, the marble balustrades and the semicircular
flight of steps in the Court of Honour of the palace which
we admire to-day owe their existence to Honore's " father
elect."

Great financial difficulties with Spain now arose. The
Spanish Government failed to pay its soldiers in garrison
at Monaco and there was the same embarrassment with
regard to the Monegasque ships in the service of Spain.
Many of these ships were seized for debt and afterwards
were lost off the island of Zerbi, taken by the Turks in
1561. This was the beginning of the decay of Monaco's
maritime power ; though some ships under the Grimaldi
standard took a creditable part in the battle of Lepante.

Honore I. died in 1581, leaving four sons and five
daughters. His eldest son, Charles II., succeeded at the age
of twenty-seven, and shortly after his accession some 500
Corsicans and French attempted to take Monaco by storm.
It was on this occasion that St Devote is supposed to
have appeared on the walls and upbraided the Corsicans
for attacking the town that took such good care of the
remains of their patron saint. The attack totally failed.

78 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Charles II. did not marry, and died young. He was suc-
ceeded in 1589 by his brother, Hercules I. As the Spanish
continued to neglect all their financial responsibilities there
was increasing dissatisfaction and distress. Another night
surprise was attempted against Monaco, this time by 700
men from Provence. They were commanded by a Mone-
gasque named Cesar Arnaud, but in spite of their vigour
in attacking they were driven off. Next a notary named
Boccone entered into a conspiracy with the house of
Savoy to upset the dynasty, get rid of the Spaniards and
put Monaco into the hands of Savoy. Probably it was to
a similar plot that the murder of Hercules in the rue du
Milieu may be attributed. The prince was leaving the
house of Gastaldi the Governor when he was stabbed,
l^his was the house that now bears the number 15 in the
rue du 3Ii/ieu.

Honore II. was the next heir, and at first he reigned
under the tutorsliip of l*rince de Valdetare, an uncle on
his mother's side, who was entirely devoted to the Spanish.
Consequently he soon became unpopular among the
JNIonegasques. A larger garrison of Spanish troops was
brought to Monaco, and Honor^ II. received the Order of
the Golden Fleece. Valdetare abolished the communal
prerogatives of Monaco on which the Grimaldis had relied
since the origin of their lordship. The more the Spaniards
reduced the power of the Grimaldis, the more they be-
stowed upon them outward shows of fa\^our. For example,
the title of Prince, used up to this time only by courtesy,
was now, with the sanction of Spain, officially conferred.
Thuswehear of " Honore II., Prince and I^ord of Monaco."
Honore was also encouraged to issue coin with his own
likeness, but, in reality, he was obliged to abstain from
governing and rest contented, for thirty years, with the
honour of receiving princes and the pleasure of beautify-
ing his palace. In this latter work he succeeded so
well that the seventeenth-century poets, artists and
travellers all agreed in singing the praises of the palace
of Monaco.

ANTI-SPANISH COUP D'ETAT 79

In 1631 the plague broke out at Monaco. The disease
already prevailed in the neighbourhood, and it was said
that some infected linen from La Turbie was brought to
Monaco to be washed. The most rigorous measures were en-
forced. The people were kept prisoners in their houses, and
all social intercourse forbidden. But one day there came two
monks from Nice declaring that dirt was the cause. Every-
one was thereupon driven to the sea and made to take a
prolonged bath. At the same time their furniture was
brought down and also washed in the sea, while their
houses were fumigated. To further these efforts there
came a deluge of rain. The plague was thus washed away
and the epidemic at once ceased.

As time wore on, the position became more intolerable
and, in the absence of their pay, the Spanish soldiers even
asked permission to pillage the palace they were supposed
to protect. At last Honore II. succeeded in secretly con-
cluding a treaty, the Treaty of Peronne, with Cardinal
Richelieu. This act bears the date of September 1041. A
French garrison was to occupy Monaco, but its officers
were to be under the orders of the Prince of INIonaco,
whose independence should in every way be respected.
It was on the 17th November 1641 that the coup d'eiat
was accomplished. A number of partisans were arrested
and brought to the Monaco prisons. In the night, after
a banquet at which all the Spanish officers and soldiers
had been well plied with drink, the prisoners, who were
friends in disguise, were armed and released. AVith
the rest of the population they sprang upon the garri-
son. A cannon fired from the rampart brought up
French soldiers concealed in the neighbourhood ; and
the Spaniards, overwhelmed, were glad to save their lives
by surrendering. Only five of them had been killed and
ten wounded.

Honore II. published a manifesto to the Powers ex-
plaining his conduct, and returned the Order of the Golden
Fleece. Of course he lost all the property he possessed
in Spain, and all the privileges and honours the Spanish

80 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

emperor had conferred on him. The alliance of the
Grimaldis with Spain had been most disappointing, and
Honor^ II. was convinced that France was not only the
nearer but the more reliable ally. Still, the enmity of
Spain was now to be anticipated, and precautions must be
taken.

CHAPTER V

MONACO FROM RICHELIEU TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

EUROPE was now in the throes of the great
struggle between Protestantism and the Roman
CathoHc Church. Monaco was but a small state,
some may think too small to take part in this war of
giants. Nevertheless it had thrown off the incubus of
Spain just in time to assist in working out the far-reaching
policy of Richelieu and his successor, Mazarin. Richelieu
was determined not to allow Austria to accomplish in
1635 what Prussia did in 1870. He had ruthlessly
beheaded French aristocrats who conspired against the
King and had tenaciously fought the French Protestants
so as to maintain the authority of the throne and the
unity of the nation. But when Austrian policy was likely
to bring about German unity Richelieu fought for the
Protestants in Germany, though he sought to crush them
in France. Though a cardinal of the Roman Catholic
Church, he was willing to support the Protestant cause
beyond the Rhine rather than allow the creation of a
powerful Germany on the French frontier. As in these
wars Spain was arrayed against France, Monaco, by
reason of its geographical position and the safe shelter
afforded in its harbour, became a place of importance.
Louis Xin. of France, to compensate Honord II. for
what he had lost in abandoning Spain, conferred on him
the Duchy and Peerage of V^alentinois, made him Count
of Carladez, Baron of Buis and Calvinet, and gave him the
lands and lordship of Saint Remy. Honoro II. was
received at the court in Paris, and later Louis XIV.
became godfather to Honor^'s grandson, Louis. As this

F 81

82 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

child's father was accidentally shot a few years afterwards,
it was the godson of Louis XIV. who became the next
Prince of Monaco, under the title of Louis I. Honore II.
died in 1662, after a long and very successful reign. He
so improved the court of Monaco that he was called
the Louis XIV. of ]Monaco, and he greatly increased the
influence of his family by marrying his grandson Louis to
Charlotte, daughter of the Marshal de Gramont.

When the English revolution drove the Stuarts into
exile, Charlotte de Gramont, wife of Prince Louis of
Monaco, became the favourite companion of Henrietta,
daughter of Charles I. of England and wife of the Duke
of Orleans. The Duke of York, subsequently James II.
of England, desired to avail himself of the situation in
favour of his plans by making use of the port of Monaco.
He conceived a scheme for assembling at Monaco a fleet
with which to sail for England and re-establish the
monarchy. But if the court of France was anxious to
show sympathy with the exiled Royal Family of England,
Cardinal Mazarin was much more concerned to keep peace
with Cromwell. It was all very well to sympathise with
the fallen Stuarts ; but if Cromwell could be induced to
lend a few of his Ironsides to aid the French, in their wars
against Spain, that was a purpose far more worthy of
accomplishment. It was in 1650 that the Duke of York
cast his eyes on Monaco. Honore II. was still living, and
the King of France entrusted him with the very difficult
task. He was to satisfy the Duke of York in any way
except that of allowing him to make use of the port of
Monaco for hostile purposes against the English Common-
wealth. This Honore II. did with so much skill that he
was especially congratulated and complimented by the
court of France.

Mazarin's policy was successful. He not only estab-
lished very friendly relations with Cromwell but actually
obtained the assistance of some of Cromwell's soldiers
to fight the Spaniards. There still exists at Monaco
written evidence in proof of this fact. These historical

CROMWELL'S LETTER 83

documents came to be included among the archives of
Monaco in the following manner. Honore-Charles-Maurice,
Due de Valentinois, subsequently Honore V., married
the only daughter and surviving child of the sixth and
last Due d'Aumont ; the Due d'Aumont had married
Jeanne de Durfort-Duras, Duchesse de Mazarin ; the
Grimaldi family therefore inherited the d'Aumont papers,
which included some relating to Mazarin. These consist of
one hundred and seventy-four letters, a large portion of
which are letters from Cardinal Mazarin to Marshal d'Au-
mont, writenfrom July 16-t3 to August 1659. The ink is
good but the paper bad. Some of the letters are folded eight
times. The courteous first sentence and the signature are
always in Mazarin's hand, and in some cases the entire
letter. Occasionally the Cardinal wrote to a dictated letter
a postscript in his own hand as long as the letter itself.
The letters generally bear a red or blue ribbon sealed with
the Cardinal's ring, engraved with his arms. Marshal
d'Aumont was engaged for a long time in the war against
the Spaniards, and the struggle was protracted for some
twenty-four years. Many of the letters relate to this
campaign. Mazarin's policy of reconciliation with England
succeeded so well that Cromwell sent 6000 troops to help
the French against the Spaniards. Among the d'Aumont
correspondence is one from Cromwell regarding an
English contingent sent to Mai-dike, a town near
Dunkerque. It is addressed to the Marshal, and is worded
as follows : —

" For his Excellency the Marshal of Aumont at

Mardike

" My Lord, — Wee having been given to understand
that the Spanyard had some Designe to attacqs Mardike
did send five companyes of Colonell Guibons Regiment
from home for assisting of the fForces there but having
now understood that there is an addition of forces of
French and English, which wee hope (through the
blessing of God) may be able to defend that place against

84 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

any attempt of ye enemy. It is our desire that your
Lordship will please to cause the returne to England of
these five Companies of Colonelle Guibons Regiment with
all possible speed, for whose transportation we have
labourard. Your good friend,

" Oliver, P.

"Whitehall, BQth Decemb. 1657."

Thus the princes of Monaco not only helped Cromwell
by refusing to allow the Duke of York to use their port,
but they married into a family which had fought side by
side with Cromwell's soldiers ; and they still possess one
of Cromwell's lettei's. Few people realise how often the
house of Grimaldi has been involved in English politics.
Generally its action has been against England, but it was
in favour of Cromwell and the Commonwealth. After the
Restoration of the Stuarts, French arms were again
turned against England ; and, the better to wage a mari-
time war, the French became the allies of the Dutch.
They were, however, very unstable allies, and preferred
rather to see the Dutch and English ships damage each
other than risk French ships in the fighting. Louis I. of
IMonaco, anxious to escape from the court intrigues in
which his wife was compromising herself, and desirous
of distinguishing himself by some feat of arms, was
waiting in vain for the arrival of the French fleet under
]M. de Beaufort. At last, in company with his brother-
in-law, the romantic Comte de Guiche, Prince Louis of
IMonaco took service with the Dutch fleet, just in time to
assist at the celebrated battle of Texel. This great fight,
which lasted for four days, took place at the beginning of
June 1666. The Comte d'Estrades, French ambassador
in Holland, sent the following repoi-t to Louis XIV. con-
cerning the conduct of the two combatants :

" M. le Prince de Monaco and M. le comte de Guiche,
being on the ship commanded by Captain Terlon, second

^A..y/iyfff*^a/^^^t /f}i>er Ani^,/a^M

fO-ff^^i f-afi^'

6>y.

^0 afVP ^v<tf:e:

&'

C

"*'«•• '"■•■ ."

Li:ill.K I'ROM Ol.IVEK CkOMWIU.!.

RUYTER AND LOUIS I 85

to Admiral Ruyter, were the first to charge the enemy,
and then were so prompt in accosting the vice-admiral
of the Red Pennant that they came to pistol shots, and as
both had supports the fight lasted two hours. Hence there
were many people killed. The comte de Guiche mixed
with the soldiers and sailors because he speaks more
easily than the captain himself. At the moment when
they thought they were about to capture the enemy's ship
their own ship caught fire. They worked hard to extinguisli
the fire ; but as the flames had spread to the sails the
Prince of Monaco and M. de Guiche undressed, retaining
only their drawers, so as to jump into the sea before the
powder magazine was ignited. At that moment a Dutch
vessel, the Little Holland, passed and fastened itself to
the stem of their ship, and several of the crew were able
to throw their weapons into this ship and scramble on
board. The boat which they thus boarded was commanded
by the brother of Admiral Ruyter ; it was on its way to
assist another ship which was much damaged. They again
fought, and for three hours, on this vessel ; till at last it
was put ho?:s- de combat and had to be rescued. M. le
Prince de Monaco and M. le comte de Guiche, with the
sieur de Nointel, who did not abandon them, were taken,
by the vessel which came to their help, to Admiral
Ruyter's ship. The Admiral received them with great
joy and ordered clothes to be brought them. It was the
last day of the battle which was the hardest. These
gentlemen were always in the forefront of danger. M. de
Guiche was wounded in the arm and shoulder by a cannon-
shot. He lost three of his servants and the equerry of the
Marshal de Gramont."

Admiral Ruyter lost four ships, which were sunk, but he
captured six English ships and sank or burned seventeen. A
thick fog enabled the remains of the English fleet to escape.

Louis XIV. was delighted that a few officers coming
from the French court had been able to render distin-
guished service to his allies, as this helped to maintain

86 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

French prestige, otherwise somewhat compromised
through the absence of the French ships. It was during
this war, it will be remembered, that the Dutch sailed
up the Thames with brooms fastened to their masts to
indicate that they would sweep the English off the seas ;
but they did not quite succeed in doing this. Indeed,
when the ensuing peace was signed at Breda, in July
1667, the Dutch gave New Amsterdam over to the English,
and this Dutch colony was henceforth named New York.
Having encountered Charles II.'s fleet in the war.
Prince Louis of Monaco was destined to encounter
Charles II. personally. On the latter occasion the struggle
was for the smiles of one of the most beautiful women of
the time. Separated at last from his wife, whose intrigues
were incorrigible. Prince Louis became attached to
Cardinal Mazarin's beautiful niece, the notorious Hortense
Mancini, Duchess of JNIazarin. When she was exiled from
France, in consequence of her intrigues, Prince Louis
followed her, first to Rome and then to London. Here
Charles II. forthwith became enamoured of the beautiful
refugee, and at one time it seemed as if she would take
the place of the Duchess of Portsmouth. A ruinous
contest followed between the powerful King of England
and the prince of a minute principality. At one moment,
in jealous anger, Charles II. withdrew the pension of
£4000 he had allowed to the Duchess of Mazarin, where-
upon Prince Louis immediately allowed her a pension of
the same amount. Metivier, in his history, maintains that,
on the whole, though he was but a prince and his rival a
king, the lady preferred to bestow her favours on Prince
Louis of Monaco. Nevertheless, fortunately for his peace
of mind and for his purse, Louis managed to cure himself
of his passion. Then, after having pretty energetically
kicked over the traces, he returned to his principality and
to his subjects, to draw up a model code of laws, known to
this day as the Code Louis. But if Prince Louis improved
the laws, he abolished what vestiges still remained of the
communal or municipal life established by the Genoese.

CHARLES II AND LOUIS I 87

In thus excluding the people from all share in the re-
sponsibility of government, he prepared the ground for
the dissatisfaction that on more than one occasion wrecked
the fortunes of the Grimaldis.

Soon a new call was made upon Prince Louis. When
Louis XIV. married Marie-Therese of Austria she was
obliged to renounce her claim to the Spanish succession.
When, however, the succession was open, Louis XIV.
conveniently discovered that a private contract could not
prevent the application of a fundamental law. Therefore
he determined to assert his wife's rights to the Spanish
succession. Rome was the centre of negotiations, and as
Prince I^ouis of Monaco possessed not only the necessary
diplomatic subtlety, but also a Southern love of ostenta-
tious display and extravagance, he was thought admirably
suited to represent France at Rome. The result was that
Prince Louis spent a large part of his fortune in fulfilling
this mission, and in outward show he eclipsed all the other
ambassadors. It is related, as an instance of his magnifi-
cence, that the horses of his escort were shod with silver.
Further, care was taken to nail on the shoes very loosely,
so that some of them dropped off, to the delight and
benefit of the crowd. Such pomp and prodigality had
never been seen. The Prince had spent a year in preparing
for the journey, but perhaps he overshot the mark, and his
display of wealth and extravagance was by some considered
to be exaggerated. Rendu, who is an impartial historian,
is of opinion that Prince Louis was successful, and kept
the French interests well to the front. The French
obtained satisfaction in so far that it was ultimately
decided that the grandson of Marie Therese, the second
son of the Dauphin, should succeed to the crown of Spain
if he renounced all claim to the crown of France. The
importance of such negotiations is obvious, and shows
what a responsible part some of the princes of Monaco
have played in European politics.

These negotiations took place in 1099, and later.
Prince Louis I. died in 1701, at the age of fifty-nine, having

88 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

reigned nearly forty years. He was succeeded by his son,
Antoine I., who was already forty years old. Like his
father, he married a woman more celebrated for her
beauty than for her virtue. His mother, " Madame de
Monaco," as the heroine of novels and many a story more
or less fictitious, had earned unenviable notoriety, and now
his wife, Marie de Lorraine, daughter of the Comte de
Armagnac, seemed bent on following the example of her
mother-in-law. The conduct of Marie de Lorraine was
such that, like his father. Prince Antoine was glad to leave
her and take service for France. Thus it came about that
he took part in the German campaign of 1688 and was
present at the seiges of JNlons and Namur.

Shortly after the death of Louis I., Europe was torn
by the war over the Spanish succession. At first this did
not affect Monaco, but in 1705, Savoy having taken sides
against France, the safety of Nice and Monaco was
menaced from the sea by English ships, and from the
mountains by Savoyard soldiers. Prince Antoine wished
to see the French occupy the strategical position of La
Turbie. Marshal de La Feuillade, however, would not
consent to this ; but, considering that the historical and
Roman trophy of La Turbie might be used as a fortress,
he caused it to be blown up. The explosion destro5^ed only
half the tower, but it was an act of vandalism for which
obviously there was no sufficient excuse. The near
approach of war caused Antoine L to devote much care
and much money to the improvement of the fortifications
of Monaco. There still remains the picturesque fort which
he built, and which now commands the end of the quay on
the commercial side of the port. It bears a tablet with the
inscription, Fort Antonius Prim anno Salutis INIDCCIX.
Above is a modern flag-signalling station, but close to it
stands a stone sentinel-box such as might have been con-
structed when the Saracens were still to be feared. The
wall is partly rock and partly masonry, with large stone
embrasures for cannon. The walk round this corner is one
of the most interesting in the principality, both on account

SPANISH WAR OF SUCCESSION 89

of the old fortifications and the natural growth of the rock.
Nor is this vegetation unconnected with warlike prepara-
tions. In the days when wire entanglement had not been
invented the thorns of the aloe, the agave and the prickly
pear were a very effective substitute. From the end of the
new breakwater an inspiring view of the picturesque battle-
ments may be enjoyed. The darkness of the stones,
probably due to the modern gas-works rather than to
antiquity, gives them the appearance of recording the
history of untold centuries. One above the other rise three
fortified terraces, with palm-trees like defiant feathers
waving their branches on the top.

To build Fort Antoine, Prince Antoine had his silver
melted down and sold his jewels. He also constructed vast
underground refuges to be used in case of a bombardment,
and kept the cisterns in good order and well filled with
water. These works were not terminated till 1713. By that
time (especially during the negotiations for the Treaty of
Utrecht) Antoine was in great danger of losing his in-
dependence, for the Duke of Savoy energetically claimed
the cession of Monaco. The King of France replied that
he could not give what was not his ; but the old servitude
in respect of Roccabruna and JNIentone, which Jean
in a weak moment had foolishly ceded, was now revived.
While INIonaco remained independent, on behalf of
Mentone and Roccabruna Antoine was obliged to ac-
knowledge the overlordship of the house of Savoy.

Another source of grief was the absence of male issue.
Antoine had only daughters, of whom three survived in
1712. The eldest, Ijouise-Hippolyte, was but fifteen years
old, and already the most distracting, underhand family
intrigues were pursued with regard to her future husband.
Antoine's brother, though a priest and the Abbd of
INIonaco, was evidently quite willing to accept the succes-
sion. Several betrothals were attempted, and through all
these complications Antoine very wisely insisted that his
daughter should not marry into a very exalted family, for
fear the member of such a family should not willingly and

90 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

sincerely renounce his own name to take the name and
position of the chief of the Grimaldis. Finally, Princess
Louise-Hippolyte married Jacques de Goyon JNIatignon,
Comte de Thorigny, a member of one of the oldest families
of Brittany. He was descended from the celebrated
Marshal Jacques de JNIatignon, who at the time of the
Massacre of Saint Bartholomew refused to carry out the
orders he had received. He would not stain his hands by
treacherously murdering his Protestant neighbours. Thus
in the history of the princes of JNIonaco, as in so many
other histories, we find that there are circumstances when
the " don't shoot " policy can be carried out to the unani-
mous approval of posterity.

Prince Antoine I. died in 1713, and though he had
suffered in his private capacity as a husband and a father
he was an able politician, and had done much to make his
people happy. He was also a patron of painting, and de-
voted to music. He attracted artists to Monaco, and did
his best to encourage refinement and culture. So great,
however, was the spirit of intrigue at that time that when
Louise-Hippolyte succeeded Antoine I., as Princess of
Monaco, she had already been taught to look with jealousy
upon her husband, and accused him of assuming more
authority than was his right. However, this disagi-eement
did not last long, for after a reign of only eleven months
the princess contracted smallpox and died. Without the
slightest opposition, her husband was recognised as reign-
ing prince, under the title of Jacques L But his sister-in-
law. Princess Isenghien, second daughter of Antoine I.,
did not fail to conspire against her dead sistei-'s husband.
Her excuse was that the population would not be governed
by a prince who had no Grimaldi blood in his veins.
Prince Jacques met this objection by appointing the
Chevalier de Grimaldi Governor of the Principality. The
new governor was the natural son of Antoine L, and a
man of exceptional ability. For half-a-century he managed
the affairs of the principality to the satisfaction of all
concerned.

THE CHEVALIER DE MONACO 91

In 1733 Jacques I. abdicated in favour of his son,
Honore III., though the latter was barely fourteen years
old, but the Chevalier de Grimaldi kept a tight hold on
the affairs of the principality during the prince's minority
and his absence. In his younger days the prince was
absent in the service of the French army, and once again
we find the Grimaldis taking sword in hand to fight the
English. It is extraordinary that the Grimaldis always
contrived to take up arms against the English at the times
when the English were particularly unfortunate. It some-
how happened that when the fortunes of war changed, and
the English were victorious, the Grimaldis were usually
absent. The battle of Crecy was an exception to this rule,
but at the battle of Fontenoy both Honore III. and his
brother, Charles Maurice, Knight of Malta, fought with
such distinction that Voltaire in his " Poeme de Fontenoy "
wrote :

"Monaco pcrd son sang et I' Amour en Soiipire."

The English, though they had the Dutch, the Hano-
verians and some Hungarians to help them, were defeated
after a stubborn resistance. Charles Maurice of Monaco
was wounded at Fontenoy. Later, at the battle of Rancoux,
Prince Honors III. was wounded, and at Lawfeld his
horse was killed under him. Honore HI. received the Cross
of St Louis, and at the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748,
was promoted to the rank of Marshal.

While these "wars were distracting the great powers,
the Chevalier de IMonaco, who was practically ruling the
little principality, managed to maintain its neutrality.
Thus he impartially assisted both English and French
ships when endangered by stress of weather or other
causes. In 1747, nevertheless, after the battle of Gorbio
and the occupation of the county of Nice by the allied
Austrians and Sardinians, Monaco was blockaded by sea
and by land. The surrounding country was devastated,
especially by the Croatians, who formed part of the
Austrian army. Fortunately, however, the victorious

92 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

advance of the French in 1748 soon cleared the Riviera
and restored peace.

It was not till 1757 that Honore III. married
Mademoiselle de Brignole, whose forefathers had been
doges at Genoa. This family was very anxious to make
it quite evident that they thought just as much of them-
selves as any princely house. Therefore when Mademoiselle
de Brignole arrived on board a ship in the port of Monaco,
her mother insisted that the Prince of Monaco must come
on the ship so as to conduct his bride to the shore. This,
however, Honore III. conceived to be against princely
etiquette. There was a painful scene, aggravated by the
fact that a large portion of the bridal party were terribly
seasick. Nevertheless the Genoese flotilla sailed away and
anchored off Bordighera. Negotiations followed, and were
continued for two days. At last the following compromise
was effected. The bride should return to INlonaco. Prince
Honore would not go on board to bring her to the shore :
the bx'ide on her side refused to land alone. But a long
wooden bridge should be thrown from the shore to the
ship. The prince would go half way across this bridge.
Mademoiselle de Brignole would cross it half way on her
side, and the future husband and wife could thus meet in
the middle. It could not be said, therefore, that either had
made any concession to the other, and a perfect equality
between them would be maintained. From this union was
born, in 1768, the future Prince Honore IV.

During the summer of 1767 the Duke of York,
brother of King George III., was travelling by sea from
Marseilles to Genoa, M^hen he was suddenly taken ill. As
Monaco was near at hand the English ship, flying the
Royal Standard and showing signals of distress, entered
the port. Honore III. hastened to give every assistance,
and placed his palace at the disposition of the Duke of
York. After lingering eleven days, the duke died.
According to the popular legend, a pleasure yacht fol-
lowed the Duke of York's ship and anchored off the
Pointe de la l^eille. A beautiful young woman came on

BRIDAL BRIDGE COMPROMISE 93

shore and entered a cavern in the rock, and the yacht
sailed away. The peasants declared that this fair form,
draped in white, was seen daily sitting on the rock and
gazing in the direction of the palace. When at last the
duke died, and the Royal Standard flew half-mast high,
the fair apparition plunged into the water, never to be seen
again. After this the rock was considered to be haunted,
and the peasants would make the sign of the cross when
they passed near the fatal spot.

George III. and his brother the Duke of Gloucester
wrote and expressed great gratitude for the care Honore
III. had taken of their brother during his last moments.
The Duke of Gloucester sent Honore III. six magnificent
horses which had belonged to the Duke of York, and
George III. invited him to court. Accordingly, Honore
III. went to London in 1768, and was received with great
honours by King George.

At first Honore III. lived happily with his proud
Genoese wife, in spite of all the difficulties she had made
with regard to her landing at Monaco. But the princess
was twenty years younger than her husband, and was
much courted and admired. Instead of meeting in Honord
a friend and adviser, she found herself treated with
suspicion and reserve. At last the young woman became
weary, revolted and deliberately gave her husband good
cause to demand a separation. Often victorious in war, the
Grimaldis have not been as fortunate in their love affairs.
The separation was pronounced in 1770. After the death
of her husband, Catherine de Brignole married, dui'ing the
emigration, the Prince de Conde. The very large fortune
she had inherited from her family was swallowed up by
the army Cond^ tried to form so as so invade his own
country and chastise the French people for selecting a
form of government of which he did not approve. This
imfortunate woman died in England in 1813; she was
then seventy-five years old. Her second husband, the Prince
de Cond^,said that he could not afford to pay for her funeral.
Tlie cost was defrayed by the Prince Regent, and the

94 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

funeral took place at night, at the Catholic chapel near
Wimbledon. When she was fifty-three years old Goethe
had described her as young, animated and joyful. From
her first husband her grandson Honor^ IV. married, as
akeady explained, the only daughter of the Duke
d'Aumont and (through her mother) became heir to the
JNIazarin family. From this union were born Honore V.
and Florestan I.

During the reign of Honore III. efforts were made to
encourage trade, especially the trade in lemons and citrons,
which grew so plentifully on this coast. Later printing
works were established, and the first newspaper, the
Courrier de Monaco, was issued. The Chevalier de Grimaldi
died in 1784, a severe loss for the prince and his people.
Several distinguished men were born in the principality
during this reign. Among others there was the composer
Langld, the master of Dalayrac ; the celebrated sculptor
Bosio, and his brother, a distinguished painter of historical
scenes ; Alphonse de Beauchamp, contributor to Michaud's
" Universal Biography " and author of a history of Vendee.
The Vignali family, one of whose members went to
America before 1538, also flourished at this time. In 1770
a Vignali, whose master was the celebrated painter
Raphael Mengs, won the prize of the French Academy
of Painting.

CHAPTER VI

MONACO DURIXG THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD, THE FIRST
AND SECOND EJIPIRE

ON the principle, perhaps, of the calm before the
storm, the reign of Honore III. was now so
peaceful that it provides no material for comment.
One matter, perhaps, should be mentioned. The Prince of
Monaco took the initiative in bringing about the abolition
of the droit (TAubaiiie, by which the sovereign receives the
inheritance of any stranger dying on his lands. As there
were many more French dying in Monaco than IMone-
gasques dying in France this was a distinct loss to the
prince, but he thought it a very inhuman practice, and at
his request it was abolished by the Compiegne, the 18th
of August 1770. The quietude now enjoyed continued
until the fall of the Bastille (14th of July 1789); for
Monaco did not escape the shock felt by the whole world.
Here also the people proclaimed the Rights of Man.
Tired of being subjects, they insisted on becoming citizens.
They recalled the communal franchises enjoyed under the
Genoese Republic ; and, France being evidently about
to declare herself Republican, were ready to follow her
example. In the thunder of acclaim that heralded the
birth of Democracy, Monaco could not remain silent.
Like her French neighbours she was at first anxious not
to injure her prince. He might continue to dwell in the
palace, preserve the outward forms, even act as the
executive power ; but the policy to be followed, the laws
to be enacted, must be decided by the duly elected
representatives of a sovereign people.

At first Honore III. felt it useless to attempt any

9i

96 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

resistance, and consented to allow Roccabruna, Mentone
and Monaco to elect representative councils. But of more
personal concern to the prince was the abolition by the
French National Constituent Assembly of all the feudal
rights and privileges enjoyed by the aristocracy. The
concessions made to his ancestors by the Treaty of
Peronne, the Dukedom of Valentinois and many other
large and valuable estates conferred on the Grimaldis
when they drove out the Spaniards and allied themselves
to France, were all to be confiscated. Honore III.,
thoroughly alarmed by the progress of the French Revolu-
tion, began to issue edicts to restrict the freedom he had
accorded to his own people. Such reactionary measures,
coming within a year of the concessions made, destroyed
confidence, and thus the prince imprudently drove his
people to extremities. Instead of remaining on the spot
to weather the storm and attend to the welfare of the
principality he started off to Paris in the hope of saving
his private fortune. He pointed out to the National
Constituent Assembly that the property he possessed was
not the gift of some capricious sovereign, but a reward
for the services, the very substantial services, rendered by
the Grimaldis to the French nation. So well did Prince
Honore establish his case that the Assembly decided |

that a fund should be created to pay to the princes of
Monaco, in consideration of the estates taken from them,
an annual pension of 273,786 livres (i.e. francs.)

Before this decision could be carried out came the
10th of August, and the people's cannon, dragged to the
Place du Carrousel, shattered the crown and carried
Danton into power.^ On the following 22nd of September
1792 the French Republic was proclaimed. In the midst
of all this turmoil the public mind had not much
attention to spare for Honore III. and the Grimaldi
estates. Nevertheless , early in 1792, Honore III. obtained
from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs a formal

* J'ai ete porie au minislere par titi houlet de canon. Speech by Danton
after the 1 0th August.

REVOLUTION AT MONACO 97

declaration that the neutraUty of the principaUty would
be respected. In practice, however, this proved but a
pious wish. On the 1.5th of December 1792 the Con-
vention, which now replaced the Constituent Assembly,
decreed that when generals of the Republic entered a
foreign territory they should establish free institutions
on the French model. General Anselme having annexed
Nice, the storm burst at Monaco. On the 13th of January
1793 the Monegasque National Convention passed a
decree dethroning Prince Honore. They then proceeded
to ask General Brunet to forward to the French National
Convention their petition, which set forth that the re-
presentatives of the jNIonegasque people had unanimously
v^oted in favour of incorporation with the Fiench Republic.

On the 14.th of February 1793 Carnot presented to
the Convention a report on the subject. In his speech
Carnot acknowledged that the Prince of Monaco had
always been a sincere friend and ally of France, and that,
though now deprived of his prerogatives, he ought to
obtain from the loyalty of the French people the protec-
tion and personal security to which, as a simple citizen,
he was entitled. The Convention voted on the morrow
and on the following 4th of March. The commissioners
for the county of Nice, Jagot and the Abbe Gi-egoire,
went to Monaco to notify the decree. By this act the
Monegasque convention was dissolved, and the ancient
principality incorporated in the department of the Alpes-
Maritimes. During the debates in the French Parliament
on the claims of the Prince of INIonaco, M. Gombert, a
depute of the Left, made a remark which Napoleon I.
afterwards plagiarised when speaking of the Pope. Citizen
Gombert said : '* It is quite certain that if Monsieur
Monaco had two hundred thousand bayonets at his orders
he would compel you to restore his property. If this be
right, we must do it just as much as if he had the two
hundred thousand bayonets."

Nevertheless, though the French Republic accepted
the free gift of the principality — which was renamed

98 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Fort Hercules — the prince was never paid the compensa-
tion decreed. On the contrary, the prince's wife, having
fled from France, her property, consisting principally of
a splendid mansion in the rue Saint-Dominique, was
confiscated. It was this house that was made by the
Commune in January, 1798, the headquarters of the large
contingent of German volunteers who preferred to fight
for Republican principles rather than for their own country.

On the 25th September 1793, at the height of the
Terror, in spite of the money he had subscribed for
patriotic purposes and the gift he had made of his horses
to the Republican army, Prince Honored III. was arrested
under the " Law of Suspects." Even the voice of Carnot
failed to save him. All the members of the family in
France were arrested. The prince's eldest son (the Duke
of Valentinois, subsequently Honore IV.), who had never
even left Paris, remained in prison fifteen months. At
that time he was divorced from the Duchess of INIazarin,
but she was also arrested and taken to the Convent des
Aiiglaiscs. Dr Desormeaux, the family physician of the
Grimaldis, at great peril, managed to secure an order for
release and to remove her from the prison. He further
contrived to conceal her and her son Florestan.

Joseph, the other son of Honor^ III., had married,
in 1782, Fran9oise-Therese de Choiseul-Stainville, who is
described as a very charming woman. Early in the Revolu-
tion they sought security abroad, having confided their
children to a person on whom they could rely. But
long absence proved unendurable to the fond mother, and
she returned to France to see her two daughters. At once
arrested as a " suspect," she was promptly condemned to
death for being a " declared enemy of the people ; for
having relations with the emigrants and communications
^vith the enemies of the Republic ; for supplying them
with help and preparing, in complicity with tyrants of
all sorts, criminal manoeuvres having as their object the
abolition of the national representation and the restoration
of tyranny. "

\\

I

I

GUILLOTINED 99

After her condemnation the princess announced that
she was expecting to give birth to a child ; her execution
was therefore postponed. She then asked to see Fouquet-
Tinville, the Attorney-General of the Revolutionary
Tribunal. Pending his reply, she cut off her beautiful fair
hair with a piece of broken glass, as a keepsake for her
children. She then wrote to Fouquet-Tinville a second
letter, which I venture to translate :

" I warn you, citizen, that I am not enceinte and
wished to inform you of this fact personally. As I no
longer hope you will come, I write. I did not befoul my
mouth with this lie because I feared or wished to avoid
death. I only desired to live one day more so as to have
time to cut off my hair myself and avoid giving it to the
executioner. It is the only legacy I can leave to my
children and this at least must be pure.

"Signed: Choiseul-Stainviixe, Joseph Grimaldi-
MoNACO, a foreign princess dying through the injustice of
French judges."

On the same day the order for her execution reached
the prison. The princess asked for a little rouge, as she did
not wish to look pale during the dismal ride in the tumbril.
When guillotined the princess had not yet reached her
twenty-seventh birthday.

Though most of the " suspects " were released after
Thermidor, Honored, as the father of an " emigrant," was
still detained, and did not recover his liberty till the 5th
of October 1794. Broken with age, infirmities and the
hardships of his long incarceration, Honore died six
months later in his house in the rue de Varennes.

While the Grimaldis thus suffered, the people of
Monaco were enjoying comparative quiet and peace.
There were no acts of violence, no attempts to persecute
" suspects " at Monaco. But if persons were respected,
property did not fare so well. The prince's palace was
sequestrated, and at first the work proceeded with some

100 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

order and system, an inventory being taken : but disorder
and pillage followed, and the sumptuous furniture and
treasures of art were scattered about, or sold for a trifle.
At last this havoc was stopped and what remained stored
in the chapel of the palace. The building itself was
converted into a hospital, and received the sick and
wounded from the republican armies in Italy. General
Bonaparte had his headquarters for some time at Nice, and
slept near Roccabruna on his way to Italy. Still, though
war was general over Europe, it was not until the year
1800 that Monaco was directly involved.

A large quantity of ammunition had been gathered
in the ancient fortress, but no troops were left to guard
it. Consequently, on the 23rd of May 1800, an English
frigate surprised the town. A landing party proceeded to
seize all ammunition and carried off a few cannon. The
unarmed townspeople could offer no resistance, and some
were even forced to help in carrying powder casks to the
ship. So carelessly was this done that a large quantity of
powder was spilt on the road. But if there were no French
troops at Monaco, there was a garrison at La Turbie,
which did not fail to hasten down on perceiving an English
ship in the harbour. As there were also French garrisons
at Nice and Villefranche, the small English landing party
could not have held out against them. It therefore retired
to the ship. Irritated at being interrupted before they had
collected all the spoils, the retreating English, it is sup-
posed, set fire to the train of spilt powder. We must
hope that this was ignited by accident, and not through
any unworthy feeling of malice. However this may be,
the flame followed the course of the spilt powder and
reached the magazine. A frightful explosion ensued,
resulting in the useless, cruel death of a number of women
and children who had been attracted by curiosity to the
spot. This was the last act of war taking place at ftlonaco.
AVhen the English attacked Bordighera, in 1813, the
National Guard of Monaco were mobilised, but nothing
occurred. The most important event at this period affecting

THE MONACO EXPLOSION 101

the fortunes of the principality was the construction of
the celebrated Corniche road. Napoleon had insisted on
a good thoroughfare to Italy, but the constructor had
a wholesome fear of English frigates. The road therefore
was built at a great height and some distance from the
sea. Villefranche and INlonaco were left in isolation, the
way approaching the Mentone side of the principality.
The work was begun in 1808, and terminated in April
1812. A ledge on the side of the mountains, sometimes
cut in the solid rock, this wonderful and picturesque
highway unites Nice with Genoa. As Antoine I. had built
in 1720 a road from INlonaco to Mentone, the Monegasque
road was now joined to the great international Corniche
road just above Cap JNIartin.

While the principality enjoyed comparative quiet, the
Grimaldis found themselves reduced to the greatest straits.
In vain they claimed the restitution of at least some part
of their property : it was only after negotiations that
lasted seven years that some small fragments were restored
to the Duke of Valentinois and his brother Joseph. The
latter had succeeded in procuring the omission of his name
from the list of " einigrants " on the 10th Fructidor, year
X., and under the Consulate and the Empire both Honore
and Joseph might have obtained good posts. Honore,
however, was suffering from a serious illness which com-
pelled him to live in the quietest manner. Napoleon, now
anxious to rally to his new regime persons of good family,
offered .loseph Grimaldi a commission in the Imperial
Guard. Rising quickly in favour, he became chamberlain
to the Empress Josephine, and was known at the Imperial
court as Monsieur de Monaco.

While the Duke of Valentinois was too ill to partici-
pate in current events, his eldest son, Honore-Gabriel, born
in 1778, enlisted at the age of twenty in a cavalry regi-
ment. On the 13th Germinal, year VIII., he was
promoted from the ranks to the position of sub-lieutenant ;
thus, like a true soldier, working his way up by the force
of personal merit. Soon he was attached to the staff" of

102 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

General Grouchy and honourably mentioned for his
conduct at the brilliant victory of Hohenlinden, where he
was wounded in the arm. The wound prevented his par-
ticipation in the campaign of Austerlitz, but, attached to
Murat's cavalry corps, he rendered eminent service in
following up the victories of Jena and Auestaerdt.
Grouchy describes how "J/ort aide-dr-camp Monaco," with
a handful of cavalry, forced an entire battalion to surrender;
and proposes that he should receive the star of the Legion
of Honour and the rank of Captain. These and many other
honours and rewards he did receive. The uncle of Honore,
Prince Joseph, on his side deserves great credit, for he re-
fused to leave the service of the Empress Josephine. When
she was divorced Napoleon wished to attach him to the
person of the new empress, Louise, but Prince Joseph refused
the honour and remained devoted to Josephine till her death.
The day of reaction was now at hand. The White
Terror, which for cruelty, injustice, oppression was soon
to earn a reputation as sinister as that of the Red Terror,
had begun ; but as its victims were drawn from the poorer
section of the community less is said about it. By the
White Terror the ci-devant owners of titles and privileges
hoped to recover their lost property. They did not wholly
succeed, but the Grimaldis were restored, not to their
French estates, but to the principality of IVlonaco. When,
in 1814, Louis XVIII. was placed on the throne of
France by foreign bayonets, the powers assembled to
parcel out Europe in such a manner as to efface, within
the limits of the possible, what the French Revolution and
the Empire had done. In fear of their lives, the people
began to wear white cockades : but at Monaco, where no
one had been victimised by the Red Terror, the people
were much more afraid of being annexed by Sardinia.
Therefore they did not hesitate to add red to their white
cockades ; and white and red are the colours of the
Monegasque flag. Now that France was no longer a
republic the people of Monaco demanded that their
ancient independence should be restored.

TALLEYRAND SAVES MONACO 103

Sardinia in the remodelling of the map of Europe
was to receive the county of Nice, and this would doubt-
less have included Monaco but for the fact tliTjt Talley-
rand was a personal friend of the Grimaldis. Perhaps for
this reason, perhaps because he thought Monaco might
serve as a wedge in the side of Italy, he wrote in pencil
on the margin of a draft project, that ultimately became
the Treaty of Paris, the words " and the Prince of Monaco
will be restored to his State " {"■renti'e7-a da?is ses Etats").
In the treaty signed in May 1814 these words appear
in Paragraph 8 : " which renounces all French authority
over or possession of the county of Nice," and ends by
saying: "the Principality of Alonaco being, however,
replaced in the position and relationships in which it foimd
itself before the 1st of January 1792." This was equivalent
to restoring the stipulations of the Treaty of Peronne, and
now, after twenty-two years of exile, the Grimaldis were
free to return to their principality. But Honore IV. was
too old and too ill to assume the cares of state, so he
appointed his brother, Joseph, to reign in his stead. Joseph,
however, lingered in Paris, and M. de Millo-Terrazzani
acted as governor in his absence. In the meanwhile the
son of Honor^ IV. protested against the appointment of
his uncle. After a family dispute Joseph withdrew, and
Honore IV. delegated his son, Honore-Gabriel, who had
so greatly distinguished himself in the Imperial army, to
reign over the principality.

Shortly after he left Cannes the post-chaise of the
hereditary prince was stopped by some soldiers, among
whom Prince Honore-Gabriel recognised General Cam-
bronne. The prince was conducted to an olive grove, and
there confronted with Napoleon, who had just escaped
from the island of Elba. The interview was cordial.
" Where are you going ? " inquired the Emperor. " I am
going home to Monaco," replied the prince. " And so am
I," said the Emperor — " home to the Tuileries." They
went, but the prince remained longer at home than did
Napoleon.

104 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

As Saige in his history puts it : " The disaster of
Waterloo followed and then a new treaty, in virtue of
which France was made to expiate by further losses
of territory the heroic folly of the Hundred Days."
Sardinia of course claimed her share of this definite victory
of the Allies. The Treaty of \^ienna (20th November 1815)
says in the Fourth Section of its First Article : " The rela-
tions re-established by the Treaty of Paris of the 30th of May
1814, between France and the Principality of Monaco, will
cease finally," and : •' These same relations shall exist be-
tween this Principality and the King of Sardinia." During
three centuries, the princes of Monaco, to maintain the inde-
pendence of their state, had of their own free will invited
the protection, first of Spain, then of France. Now Europe,
without consulting them, forced upon them the protection
of their old enemy, Sardinia. This put an end to the free
trade with France which had been so advantageous to
the principality ; and its reigning princes, ruined by the
French Revolution, could no longer enrich the state by
their prodigality.

Honore-Gabriel went to Turin in the hope of obtain-
ing favourable commercial conditions. He was received
with great honour, but nothing else was done for him.
On the contrary, he was forced to promise the abolition
of the tobacco manufactory which Honore HI. had
established in Monaco. This was an important source of
local revenue. Other conditions were imposed by Sardinia,
all tending to impoverish the Monegasques. Yet at the
same time the prince claimed a civil list of £12,000,
three times as much as Honore HI. had obtained from
his states. To produce this sum Honore-Gabriel imposed
numerous taxes, and this in a most reckless and injudicious
manner. He created undesirable monopolies, among them
a flour monopoly, with the result that only very bad and
very dear bread could be obtained in Monaco. And to
those who endeavoured to represent to him how much
harm he was doing he made himself so unpleasant that
no one ventured to tell him the truth.

THE REACTION 105

In 1819 Honore IV. died, and Honore-Gabriel — now
known as Honore V. — continued in his own name the
same methods of gov^ernment as he had practised during
the previous four years in his father's name. After
Waterloo and the Treaty of Vienna, all that was liberal,
democratic or advanced seemed to be crushed and anni-
hilated. The cause of reaction appeared to triumph in all
directions. Yet in the most unlikely country demo-
cratic ideas suddenly rose to the surface. The example
was set by the Cortes of Spain, and in Naples and in
Piedmont were heard riotous demands for constitutional
and liberal government. Ground down by over-taxation,
the Monegasques now thought of revolting. The rising,
however, was so promptly suppressed by the Sardin-
ian authorities that Honore V. was lulled into a false
security.

It would be interesting to study in detail the reign of
Honore V. He is one of the best-abused princes that ever
reigned over the principality. His manners were against
him ; but perhaps his chief fault was that of being in
advance of his age. Practically, his policy consisted of
supplementing the lack of State revenues by the organisa-
tion of State industries. He attempted to establish a lace
factory and a workshop for straw-plaiting and hat-making.
He studied deeply the condition of the poor, recognised
that they had the right to beg and claimed freedom for
the pauper, more sinned against than sinning. He urged
that begging must be abolished by providing beggars with
useful productive employment, and that, above all, they
should be set to work on the land. It was cruel, he
thought, to imprison beggars in mendicity depots : they
should be grouped in free and fruitful co-operative associa-
tions. In a word, it strikes me forcibly that Honored V.
was a State socialist, or at any rate a gas-and-water,
municipal-enterprise socialist, and that to-day his views
would have been better appreciated. He died in 1841, by
which time he had become extremely unpopular, and left
behind him only the memory of what are characterised

106 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

as tyrannical institutions. Yet Saige writes his epitaph as
follows : — " Here lies one who wished to do good." ^

Honor^ V. had no children, and/ much against his
inclination, his brother Florestan was obliged to assume
the task of governing an over-taxed and dissatisfied people.
His position was the more difficult as he found only passive
agents : no one was capable of making a suggestion. He
attempted to promote better education, started higher
schools and founded asylums for the poor, endeavouring
to provide free work and free feeding. But he made
himself xmpopular by restricting free teaching. With 1848
the approach of the revolutionary movement increased his
alarm, and Florestan sought the protection of Sardinian
troops, thus sapping his own independence. As usual in
such cases, concessions were made to popular clamour
when the agitation had become too great to be pacified by
such means. All this time the Sardinians were stimulating
the dissatisfaction in the hope of ultimately seizing the
principality for themselves. Indeed, the Sardinian troops
openly encouraged the manifestations which it was their
business to suppress. Then, as Charles- Albert, the new
King of Sardinia, had granted some liberal reforms to his
own people, the inhabitants of the principality began to
think they might be better off if annexed by Sardinia.
Skilful agents in the principality fanned the discontent
and turned the minds of the people towards Sardinia as a
possible saviour.

Florestan, now assisted by his son. Prince Charles,
worked, negotiated, made promises, changed his mind,
contradicted himself and, in short, sought a solution in
all directions. Finally, when Sardinia sent troops under
General Gonnet to protect Florestan they were met with
cheers for their country and their king. Soldiers and
people fraternised. And now, to make matters worse, the
Revolution broke out in Paris. Charles-Albert with his
constitution was perhaps the only popular king in Europe
at that time. Mentone and Roccabruna formed a National

' " Ci git qui voulut faire le bien."

KOgUKBHUNK

SARDINIAN INTRIGUES 107

Guard ; hoisted the Sardinian flag ; claimed and obtained
the protection of Charles- Albert. The Sardinian garrison
returned. By 5(58 votes for and none against Sardinia
was requested to annex jNIentone and Roccabruna. The
absence of any opposition suggests that the vote was not
sincere. Doubtless Sardinia would now have annexed the
entire principality but for the defeat of the Sardinians by
the Austrians at the battle of Novare in 1849. Besides,
there were some protests from France. Therefore Mentone
and Roccabruna were constituted free towns, and at
Monaco hopes were still entertained that they would
return to their allegiance to the Grimaldis. Indeed, in 1854,
Prince Charles of Monaco went to Mentone, in the
expectation that the people, having by that time acquired
some experience of Sardinian protection, would rise in his
favour. Though at first acclaimed, he did not receive
sufficient support, and was arrested.

Through French intervention Prince Charles was
released, and perhaps more would have been done by
Napoleon III. for Monaco had not Sardinia joined the
Allies in the Crimean war. In April 1856, at the
Congress of Paris, when M. de Cavour complained
that a part of the Roman states was occupied by
Austrian troops, M. de Hubner retorted that the
Italians were occupying Mentone and Roccabruna. The
Sardinian plenipotentiary therefore declared that the
Italians were ready to withdraw from the Monegasque
principality. The insertion of this statement in the official
minutes did not, however, make any alteration in the
actual situation, and the Sardinians remained in virtual
occupation.

During the same year Florestan I. died. He was
succeeded by his son, Charles III., at that time thirty-
seven years old. He seems from the first to have governed
with a firmer hand and to have kept the Sardinians in
their place. The whole question, however, was soon to
be definitely settled as one of the consequences of the
war waged by France against Austria on behalf of Italy.

108 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

By the Treaty of Turin (24th March 1860), Italy made
over Nice and Savoy to France. Thus Monaco auto-
matically returned to French protection. The Sardinian
garrison was obliged to evacuate the principality.
Negotiations were at once opened ; and, the population
of Mentone and Roccabruna having voted by a large
majority in favour of union with France, Charles III.
gave up his rights over these towns on the 2nd of
February 1861. The French Government on its side
paid Prince Charles an indemnity of £160,000. Thus
the principality was reduced to one-fifth of its former size.
In such circumstances Prince Charles could not hope
to play such a part in European affairs as his ancestors
had done on more than one occasion. Some other form of
activity must be devised, and soon he discovered that the
future of the principality depended upon its development
as a pleasure and health resort. With this ends the past
history of the principality, and we reach its modern life
and resources. But before closing this page of history
I would summarise the last two reigns by translating
a scene from Victorien Sardou's celebrated play
Rabagas. Making allowance for literary licence this
play is wonderfully true to life, and most of the incidents
mentioned historical. The humorous manner of their
presentation brings home the situation more graphically
than do the solemn pages of ponderous historical works.
The version before me is that of the Sixth Edition,
published in 1872 (page 27).

Eva

No ; on the contrary, let us talk about it. Is it then
so very complicated, the government of Monaco ?

The Prince

Oh, it is on the contrary, simplicity itself. No Ministry,
no House of Parliament ! AH the civil and military
administration is in the hand of a Governor, who is the
chief of the Cabinet, and indeed the Cabinet itself. And

LOSS OF MENTONE, ETC. 109

above this Governor there is myself — that is to say,
I am an unfortunate little sovereign crushed between two
big neighbours wlio only hesitate as to the sauce with
which thejf shall devour me . . . but my safety being
thus guaranteed, by this mutual gluttony, I can remain
neutral.

Eva
That's good.

The Prince

f Only, I am forced by the treaty of 1817 to tolerate
a Sardinian garrison at Alentone — which protects me !

Eva

Well ?

The Prince

Till the first riot occurs — then it will support the
rioters.

Eva
Oh ! for shame !

The Prince

That is all. It is quite an established order of things.
You will see. I succeed my brother, Honor^ V., and arrive
here bubbling over with ideas of liberty, of progress, of
reforms !

Eva
Yes?

The Prince

And I begin with the monacos. You have doubtless
heard about the monacos ?

Eva

Yes ; copper coins.

The Prince
The pennies.

Eva

Why yes, while I was still a little girl, nobody would
have them.

110 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

The Prince

That's it. But please note that these coins were worth
quite as much as any other coins. But the French are
terrible people. The first Frenchman asked to accept
Monaco money burst out laughing, and all the others
have laughed in chorus ever since. So all our copper coins
are coming back to us bearing a vague odour of false
coinage. You must understand that such a

Eva

Yes, of course, it does not add to the prestige of the
dynasty.

The Prince

I suppressed the monacos. Then came the bread
monopoly, etc., etc. In short, the more 1 improved and
perfected, the more the people grumbled.

Naturally.

Eva

The Prince

But I held my ground till the unfortunate olive
business.

Eva

Olives !

The Prince

Yes. I ask your pardon, I am worrying you with my
little troubles.

Eva

Oh no ! Oh no ! Please continue. This local cooking
and gossip is very interesting. We had got to the olives.

The Prince

Well, then, the olives ; or, to speak more accurately,
the olive oil, which is the wealth of this country. But we
make it so badly, with such antique methods, that it is
not as good as the oil of Provence. So I import two

AN OLD sri<i:i;T in month cahi.o

SARDOU'S "RABAGAS" 111

admirable English oil-mills and invite my subjects to
send me their olives to grind. At once I am accused of
an arbitrary proceeding. Therefore I buy the olives and
convert them into oil myself. Then the cry is raised that
I am creating a monopoly. I suppress the mills and
restore everything to its pristine state : I am accused
of encouraging stagnation and routine.

Eva
Oh ! Oh !

The Prince

So I give up the idea of realising industrial reforms.

Eva
I quite believe you.

The Pkince {siandhig)

And from that day begins between my subjects and
myself a sullen struggle that has slowly developed into
a state of ferocious hostility.

Eva {standing)
Ferocious ?

The Prince

You have certainly seen unhappy unions in which
whatever the one does the other is sure to find fault with.
^Vell, the one is myself and the other is my people.
All my acts are criticised, misrepresented and travestied
with skill and art ! Take a few examples. I go for a
walk : it is found that I have a lot of time to idle away.
1 do not go for a walk : then I am afraid of sliowing
myself. I give a ball : I am accused of wild extravagance.
1 do not give a ball : 1 am meanly avaricious. I hold
a review : I am attempting military intimidation. I do
not hold a review : I am evidently afraid, and cannot
trust the troops. Some fireworks are let off on my birth-
day : 1 am wasting the people's money in smoke. I
suppress the fireworks : then I do nothing for the

112

MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

amusement of the people. I am in good health : that is
because I am so idle and take so little trouble over public
matters. I am in bad health : that is the result of
debauchery. I build — wastefulness. I do not build — then
what about the working classes ? In fact, I am no longer
able to eat, sleep or keep awake as I may think fit. Every-
thing I do must be proclaimed as detestable, and all that
I do not do gives even greater offence.

Eva

But that is not a life.

■II

CHAPTER VII

THE PERIOD OF TUANSITION

PRINCE ALBERT I. was born on the 13th of
November 1848, and is therefore old enough to re-
member something of those dark days when his family
had to endure many Iiardships and poverty. During the year
of his birth INIentone and Roccabruna revolted against
Prince Florestan I., his grandfather, and declared their in-
dependence. Eight years later Florestan I. died, and Prince
Albert I. has not forgotten the funeral. This fact, of no
particular importance in itself, I ascertained when an
occasion occurred for showing the prince the following
interesting extracts concerning his family. They are taken
from the " Recollections of a Parisian," by Dr Poumies
de la Siboutie (John Murray, 1911) : —

"June 11th, 1856. — I spent a portion of to-day with
Florestan I., Prince of Monaco, who has been my
dear friend for the past forty years. His wife and mine
were at school together, and have always kept up their
old intimacy.

" I fear the poor prince is very ill, and cannot live much
longer. He said to me : — ' I loathe the title of Prince. I
have forbidden its use in my household and among my
friends. Many absurd stories have been told about me.
They say I was a " super " at a theatre, which is partly
true and partly false ; I had theatrical employment for
four years, but only appeared in minor parts. I was
successively at the Theatre de la Cite, the Theatre du
Mai-ais and the Ai/itjig-u. We played all kinds of pieces ;
classical, modern, melodrama, light comedy. I used to

H 113

I

114 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

play young lovers and was a favourite with audiences ;
they liked my voice and cultured intonation. I could
make my points good, and above all I looked a gentleman.
I played under my own name of Florestan ; you will find
it in old playbills, also in the newspapers of the day. I
had a great many favourable notices. JNIy passion for
theatrical mattei's has never died out. I would have a
theatre of my own to-morrow, but for the determined
opposition of my family. I have been brought into contact
with leading actors of the day and have enjoyed familiar
friendship with them. There are no better fellows any-
where, nor cheerier company. I have written a great deal,
memoirs, comedies, verses, travels, etc. — but somehow I
have never published. After my death my successors may
do what they like with the stuff. I am quite indifferent.'
" These things were said at odd times when the subjects
concerned came up in conversation."

" Wednesday, June 25th. — I attended the funeral of
Florestan I. to-day. The chief mourners were his son

Charles and a little grandson who clung to his father's |

hand. People are gossiping because the Icttres de j'aire j[

pm-t are written in the names of these two only, ignoring ^

the three ladies of the family." *

The little grandson who clung to his father's hand
was the present ruling Prince of JNlonaco ; and Prince
Albert said he still remembered the scene, though rather
vaguely. The other details he had no doubt were true, and
read them Avith much interest. They were new to him,
the prince explained, because in his young days it was
the fashion not to speak of having to earn one's living.
It was considered a humiliation to be forced to work.
Therefore he was never told that his grandfather had
been an actor, but he knew he had a good deal to do with
the stage, and the family still possessed many portraits
collected by Prince Florestan of great actors. Prince
Albert remembered notably a fine picture of Talma.

A GRBIALDI ON THE STAGE 115

Though the account of his gi-andfather's acting was new
to him he had no doubt as to its accuracy, for when driven
out of ^lonaco by the Revokition, and after the confiscation
of all their estates, several members of his family had to
work for their living. He was proud to think they had so
far succeeded, so as to be able to give their children a good
education.

The harshness of this past experience must of course
have affected Prince Charles III. much more deeply than
Albert I., as he lived nearer to the great i-evolutionary
upheaval. Then, as it all terminated in the reduction of
the principality to one-fifth its former size, it may well
be understood that Charles Til. was driven to accept
counsels of despair. Now that the greater part of the
lemon and olive groves of the principality were handed
over to France it might well be said :

" Monaco io sono
lln scoglio
Del raio non ho
Quelle d'altrui non toglio
Pur viver voglio."

Which may be translated :

" I am Monaco, a stray rock.
I do not produce anything,
I do not plunder the good of others,
And yet I intend to live."

Never has a determination been more successfully
accomplished. Monaco, with its five square miles of
territory, had now become the smallest of the remaining
very little, though independent, states. The grand duchy
of Luxemburg has 1000 square miles ; the republic
of jVndorra in the Pyrenees measures 175 square miles ;
Liechtenstein, which both Germany and Austria have
agreed to respect, covers 90 square miles ; and the
republic of San Marino, established sixteen hundred
years ago in the north-east of Italy, has only 30

116 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

square miles. Tlius JNIonaco, with but fiv^e square miles, is
far and away the smallest of them all. Nevertheless it has
so managed its affairs that it has outstepped every other
country, large or small, in the rapid acquisition of wealth.
In proportion to its native population, no other nation
possesses such revenues, nor can any country dispense
with taxation. Yet within living memory great poverty
prevailed. On the wild promontory of Spelugnes — a word
that means caves used for burial purposes, but which has
now been converted into JNIonte Carlo — shepherds
conducted flocks to graze on wild herbs. In the Condamine
flowers were grown principally for Mr Rimmel, whose
very name smells sweet to the London frequenter of the
Strand. Beautiful fruits grew readily, but there was no
direct carriage road to Nice and no cheap means of
exporting what could be grown.

Under such circumstances, it is not surprising if
Charles III. was attracted by the increasing prosperity of
the landgraviate of Hesse-Horaburg, a small principality
like his own. Before JNlonsieur Fran(,'ois Blanc appeared
on the scene, members of the court at Monaco had
marvelled at the untold gold that came from all parts of
the world to be thrown on the tables at Wiesbaden and
Baden-Baden. But there were valuable mineral springs at
Baden-Baden, Wiesbaden and Homburg ; many invalids
derived benefit from them, and this was a sufficient
pretext to build casinos, with their accompaniment of
amusements and their source of revenue, the roulette and
trente-et-quarante tables.

At Monaco there were no valuable mineral springs.
On the other hand there was the marvellous climate and
most beautiful scenery. Not far ofl^, at Cannes, Lord
Brougham had taught the highest classes of English
society to appreciate the advantages of wintering on the
Riviera. Also to escape the rigour of the Northern winter
was thought, in those days, one of the most efficient
means of checking the development of pulmonary
tuberculosis. But at Nice, Cannes, Hyeres and Mentone

I

THE TEiMPTATION 117

there was no seaport, nothing to compare with the Port
of Hercules at Monaco, wliere hohday people and patients
could bathe in all security. The port terminated in a beauti-
ful shallow sandy beach, though very deep at its entrance.
Here in the olden days the galley safely grounded on the
soft shore ; and it must have been admirably suited lor
bathing when in the Condamine there were only gardens
and no sewers to empty into the port.

Therefore, in the days of Charles HI., it was thought
that such sea-baths, combined with chalybeate waters, to
be found in the immediate neighbourhood, would have an
excellent effect in the treatment of various forms of bone
disease. But just as Homburg remained, practically
speaking, imknown and unfrequented till the enterprise
of M. Francois Blanc made it a resort of world-wide fame,
so also INIonaco, in spite of its brilliant sunshine, might
contiiuie to remain in the shade. JSl. Henri JNletivier, who
may be described as the Court Historian, gives some
account of the attitude of Prince Chai'les at that time,
and of the arguments which were then considered accept-
able. On page 298, vol. ii., he says :

" It seems therefore that Nature had herself indicated
what the principality of Monaco should henceforth
become. This the prince undei'stood. In 185G he gave a
concession to a joint stock company granting to them the
privilege of establishing a sea-bathing station with all the
accessories, among which would be a casino with a lessee
for games analogous to those of Germany.

"As a matter of principle, we do not approve of
gaming houses, and the governments who suppress them
act wisely. Established in large centres of population, they
constitute a permanent excitement, stimulating the spirit
of cupidity, and bring about the demoralisation and ruin of
the unfortunate people who, attracted by the false hope of
gain, press passionately round the green baize. But when
such games are established a long way from the large
towns, and when the distance is such that the cost of the

118 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

journey can only be met by rich foreigners, one may
accord them the benefit of extenuating circumstances, for
they do bring an element of prosperity amid the native
population, who are themselves severely excluded from
the gaming saloons. Such are the conditions enforced at
Monaco ; everything is so arranged as to safeguard the
morals and the money of the inhabitants, while conferring
on them the material advantages resulting from the
sojourn in their midst of numerous tourists."

Such already was the frame of mind of the Govern-
ment a few years before M. Francois Blanc appeared upon
the scene. It is not surprising therefore if he readily
obtained the concession for which he was prepared to pay
handsomely. Nor is it strange that he so improved the
place as to render some of the above arguments no longer
applicable ; for to-day it is the great number of cheap
trippers rather than the few very rich visitors who provide
the largest source of revenue. The improvement, though
some may challenge the word, was also so rapid that it
may well be compared with the mushroom growth of
cities in the middle or far west of the United States.
Thus the Rey family was easily able to buy up all the
Condamine during the Revolution, and subsequently sold
it to a M. Arnoux, wine merchant from Marseilles. How
little value was attached to this land may be gathered
from the fact that M. Arnoux had much difficulty in
selling a villa and 106,000 square metres, or about 1*27,200
square yards, of gardens for £2520. In the whole of the
Condamine, and up to the year 1868, there existed only
three or four dwellings. Yet ten years later we already
read that a beautiful aveiuie of trees had been replaced by
a street of twenty houses, that there were actually some
gas lamps, and so many villas, and even shops and cafes,
that people began to talk of the gardens of the Con-
damine as a " centre," or a town. The land of the whole
district, with its violets, which Rimmel farmed out for
£1000 a year, was estimated in 1858 as worth about

I

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LAND VALUES 119

£20,000. Twenty years later its value had increased to
£400,000.

Of course this great change was brought about not
only by M. Fran9ois Blanc and his casino, but by the
building of a main line of railway which, running from
Marseilles to Genoa, passed straight through the princi-
pality. What this meant is graphically depicted in the
Animaire or official annual register of the principality
for the year 1878. The passage appears on page 134 :

" The intelligent barbarians who failed to respect the
beautiful trees of the Condamine were not likely to stop
even before the vale of St Devote, this marvel of the
picturesque. Over this small but incomparable site the
railway — another diabolical invention — has built an im-
pertinent viaduct. Then a speculator came to trouble the
repose of this asylum. AVithout a tinge of remorse he has
bought a piece of the rock and promptly built a pretty
villa on it which he called Colomhe (dove), probably
thinking he would thereby appease the saint. Then without
acknowledging the necessity of any sort of restraint he
built two cottages and a large hotel in the immediate
neighbourhood. The ground on which he raised all these
constructions had not cost him more than £48, but the
Paris-Lyon and Mediterranean Co. wanted a very small
portion and he sold it to them for £2800."

Of Monte Carlo more wonderful stories are told. It
was in 18G0 that the first attempts were made to build a
casino on the Spdiugnes, some land having been bought
there by the promoters for a very small price from Count
Rey. In the hope of inducing people to live on this desert,
free gifts of land were offered to those who undertook to
build on such land. Nevertheless many refused to take for
nothing land which to-day is as valuable as that of Bond
Street, or of the Boulevards des Italiens. In 1863 M.
Blanc acquired the property and rights of the previous
casino companies. M. Marie de Saint-Germain, who

120 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

established himself for his health at Monaco in 1860, and
was a witness of the transformation scene, wrote in 1875 :

" That which was most arid has become fertile, the
desert is peopled, the bare rock has become an immense
bouquet. Civilisation with all its luxuries has embellished
this solitude. Large avenues bordered with green trees
and white houses stretch forth in all directions over this
superb tableland ; veritablj^ a green jewel held tightly in
a frame of mountains."

Whether such rapid and mighty changes have proved
an unmixed blessing may well be considered more than
doubtful. Speaking to some of the oldest inhabitants, I
found they constantly expressed regret, and were fond of
denouncing modern extravagances and follies. Com-
mandant Castaldi, who belonged to one of the oldest
families of the principality, told me how he remembered
when all the country around was devoted to the cultiva-
tion of flowers for the scent factories and not for ornament.
Before that, lemons and olives were the chief source of
revenue. " How beautiful it was in those days," said the old
Monegasque ; " a dream that no young person can possibly
imagine." In April anybody who was not accustomed to
the place would draw back if he approached too near the
gardens of the Condamine. The odour of the flowers would
overcome him. There were the orange blossoms especially.
They were not cultivated for the oranges, but the essence
the neroli used as scent or to drink as orange flower
water. In the month of May the young girls and boys
went out into the country to collect vast quantities of
flowers and make hoops and garlands with them. Then
they danced and sang within a framework of flowers.
This lasted all the month of ]\Iay. It was poetical, pretty ;
there was real luxury of colour, perfume, beauty, yet it
did not cost anything unless it were a few pence to buy
string to tie up the flowers.

The children had no money, but each season had its

PRIMITIVE MONACO 121

games, and nature supplied the toys. There was so much
fruit that everyone could make his own jam and have
plenty of fruit remaining to feed even the cattle. Fruits
only cost the trouble of picking them, lioatmen would
come from Nice and pay not more than five or six francs
to have their boats filled with fruit. It was the labour of
bringing the fruit rather than its value they paid for. One
of the most popular games for the children was to play
with fruit stones and almonds. They would shake the trees
and stamp on the fruit for the sake of the stones. Even
luscious peaches were treated in this way. The stones could
keep, were easily packed on mules or donkeys, and be
driven over to Nice, where they could be sold. Of course
labour was cheap, and a man would be very glad to go to
Mentone and back for half-a-franc.

In the Condamine, on the edge of the port, where the
bathing establishment was subsequently built, there were
sheds used by men who worked at cleaning lemons and
making boxes to pack them. In the port three-mast sailing
ships came all the way from America to fetch these
lemons. Some ships of course went to Sicily and other
places also renowned for this fruit. In all this it will be
seen there was only agricultural labour. If a youth in the
principality was gifted with more than usual intelligence,
and had acquired some education, he would be obliged to
go to Toulon or some other large town to get suitable
employment. Many JNIonegasques thus held high positions
in Italy or in France.

It seems curious that persons are still living who
remember the time when little could be done here and
the educated were obliged to seek positions abroad. To-day,
on the contrary, any number of people flock from France
and Italy to obtain work in the principality, so great and
rapid has been its development and progress. But its
supreme beauty has gone. Instead of an incomparable
garden we have a clustering crowd of villas, hotels and
houses of doubtful architecture. Where the flowers and
fruit trees cling lovingly to the rocks, dynamite has blown

122 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

the romantic crags away to form level terraces on which
box-shaped dwellings have been built.

Speaking on this subject to another old inhabitant, the
well-known professor of painting, an artist, M. Fontain, I
asked him whether it would be possible to have a Minister
of Fine Arts, whose mission would consist in preventing
ugliness. M. Fontain replied that undoubtedly the country
was no longer so beautiful. Rich gardens and noble trees
were replaced by horrible buildings ; but business men
would crush anyone who attempted to prevent this. Money
always went first. No artistic plea could stand against
money. If a building could be made to pay, what attention
would be given to the lamentations of a few artists ? Such
masses of masonry give forth sewage and household refuse
where formerly we had but the sweet scent of blossoms
and full-flavoured fruit. But this is progress. Large fortunes
are made amid the ruin of venerable plants, of luxurious
vegetation, the obliteration of the picturesque and the
effacement of many less successful speculators.

CHAPTER VIII

THE REVENUE OF THE PRINCE AND THE PRINCIPALITY

BEFORE attempting any further description of the
transformation the principahty has undergone
during recent years, the financial resources that
render such changes possible must be described. In the
Treaty with France of the 2nd February 1861, Charles
III. had the foresight to introduce some important stipu-
lations. He surrendered his claim on JMentone and Rocca-
bruna, which henceforth became French and are now called
JVIenton and Roquebrune, communes in the New French
Department of the Alpes-INIaritimes. In the same way
Nizza la Bella has become Nice la Belle. His territory,
thus reduced, it was evident could not suffice for the
sustenance of his subjects. If they were to live at all, this
must be through relations and communication with outside
sources of revenue. Therefore Prince Charles, by Article
V. of the Treaty, carefully stipulated that France should
maintain, at its own cost and in good condition, the road
between Monaco and JNIenton and its junction with the
Corniche road. For the other side of the principality he
insisted that a carriage road, even at the cost of cutting
through hard rock, should be built close to the shore from
Monaco to Beaulieu, Villefranche and Nice. The Franco-
German AVar retarded the execution of this clause of the
treaty, and the beautiful, picturesque road from JNIonaco
to Nice was only completed in 1881. Of course the opening
of railway communications would prove even more useful,
but all these facilities might have led to serious trouble if
a customs, postal and telegraphic union had not been
concluded with France. This convention is dated the 9th

123

124 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

November 1865. Monaco might have become a smuggling
centre. Now all goods brought to Monaco by sea have to
pay the same duty as if they were landed in France, and
the duty is collected by French custom-house officials.
But JNlonaco stands to lose for what comes by land,
especially by railway. To reach Monaco all such goods
pass through France, and there pay duty. Tea, for in-
stance, is very heavily taxed, and is sold retail for twice
the price charged in England. As this is paid at the
French frontier, if we drink tea at JNlonaco we contribute
to the revenue of the French and not to the INlonegasque
Government. Nevertheless this sacrifice was preferable to
the establishment of an octroi or any sort of local dues
which would interfere with the freest access to the princi-
pality.

By reason of their climate, their beautiful scenery and
marvellous semi-tropical vegetation, Nice, Cannes, Hyeres
and Menton were beginning to attract rich foreigners, who
came to these choice spots to escape the Northern winter.
But JNlonaco is more beautiful than any of these places.
It is as well sheltered and its climate in some respects
superior, only there were no suitable hotels, and no native
Monegasque had the slightest idea of what should be done
to attract and cater for wealthy foreign visitors. M.
Francois Blanc at Homburg had however proved that he
was the greatest of experts in this respect. On the other
hand, M. Giraud, a close friend of the late Prince Florestan,
had already suggested to Prince Charles that a casino,
where gambling was allowed, would certainly attract many
people, and thus save the country from terrible poverty.
Not very far off, Cavour had just prohibited gambling at
Aix-les- Bains on the ground that it was ruining the
Savoyard nobility. Perhaps things might be better managed
at Monaco,and some frequenters of Aix-les-Bains attracted.
In any case, a casino might save the country, and nothing
else seemed so likely to achieve this desirable end. It was
determined, however, and from the very first, to keep a
strict control over the casino and make sure that some of

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41

THE HOUSE OF WURTEMBERG 125

the money made was spent for the public good and not all
kept for private profit.

A few foreign visitors began to arrive, and among
them tliere was Prince AVilliam of Wurtemberg, who was
subsequently created Duke of Urach. He was a widower,
but his first wife, a daughter of Prince Eugene de Beau-
harnais, had left him a child, the Princess Mary. For
several years Prince \\'illiam wintered at JNIonaco, as the
climate benefited his daughter. An intimacy sprang up
between him and the Grimaldi family, which resulted in
his marrying Princess Florestine, the sister of Prince
Charles III. The wedding took place on the 15th February
1863. After the direct descendants of Prince Charles, the
offspring of this union would be the next heirs to the
principality. The prospect that a German prince, a
member of the Royal House of Wurtemberg, should reign
at Monaco has caused no small amount of trepidation
and anxiety in France. This, however, is a political and
not a financial question, though the advent of the Prince
of Wurtemberg was the beginning of the flow of dis-
tinguished personages which were soon to enrich the
principality.

Nothing, however, could equal in its immediate and
immense effect the opening of the railway from Nice to
Menton. The great difficulties of construction were at
last overcome, and the railway was opened on the 25th
October 1868. It soon became evident that an era of
prosperity was commencing. In his youth, Charles III.
had seen the people of the principality rise in rebellion
against the heavy taxes they were then compelled to pay.
Nevertheless he determined to win back the heart of his
people, and he was also anxious to produce a good effect
in Europe. Consequently, as soon as the increased revenues
rendered the measure possible, Charles III. abolished with
one stroke of the pen all direct taxation. The population
of course was delighted, and Europe saw that the ancient
house of Grimaldi was not enriching itself from the
profits made at the casino. The decree liberating all the

126 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

inhabitants of the principaUty from taxation was signed
on the 8th February 1869.

Much depends on a clear understanding of the situation
thus created. It is not possible to estimate, at its true
value, what has been done, unless we also realise what
means Avere available. The Grimaldi family were deprived
of their estates and reduced to poverty during the great
Revolution ; but they ultimately recovered a little of their
former property, which they administered with skill and
with profit. Then in 1861, when Charles III. ceded
Menton and Roquebrune to France, he received compen-
sation to the amount of £160,000. This was of service in
reconstituting the fortunes of the Grimaldis.

As for the Budget of the principality, nothing could
have been more simple. The prince received everything,
paid for everything, and had no account to render. It
would be difficult to say what was the cost of government,
and even to-day we know that much more is spent for
the public good than is recorded on any balance-sheet.
Obviously the casino has now become the chief source of
revenue. As alterations have been made from time to
time the share of the public burdens borne by the casino
has increased, but the principle being the same throughout,
it will suffice to describe the actual situation. For the
monopoly which it enjoys the casino pays £50,000 yearly
to the reigning prince. On the first £1,000,000 of gross
receipts it further pays to the prince 3 per cent., or
£30,000. On the gross receipts above the first 25,000,000
francs it pays 5 per cent. Thus, to give the position in
round figures, and if we estimate the gross receipts of the
casino at 40,000,000 francs, or £1,600,000, it would pay
first the annual fixed charge of £50,000, then 3 per cent,
on the first £1,000,000 of receipts— i.e. £30,000; and
5 per cent, on the £600,000 further receipts, making
£30,000 more— in all, £110,000. But, over and above
these fixed contributions, the casino voluntarily incurs all
manner of other expenses that are to the public benefit.
Thus it has recently contributed £24,000 towards the

THE INCOME 127

construction of a new thoroughfare, the Boulevard de
rObservatoire. By the force of circumstances tlie adminis-
tration of the casino had to take in hand a number of
public services which the simple folks who then lived in
the principality were quite incapable of understanding.
Thus, as streets were built, where there used to be olive
or lemon groves, the casino administration had to organise
the scavengering and lay the first sewers. They had to
establish gas-works, and undertook a great part of the
duties that should have been perfoi-med by a municipality.
They were like colonists opening up a new country, and
had to do everything themselves, for there were barely
any inhabitants, except in the old town of JNIonaco. Thus
the casino pays more for public purposes than appears on
the Budget ; and all that the casino is credited with
giving is also spent on the public.

The following is the Budget for 1912 : —

A. Ordinary Receipts :— Francs

Public Services, Monopolies and Regies . 1,850,250

Dues from the Companies . . . 2,2 1 7,900

Divers Receipts ..... 646',46'9

4,714,619
B. Extraordinary Receipts .... 300,000

5,014,619

This is a total receipt of £200,580. Of this sum the
public pays about £35,000 in the form of custom-house
dues and other indirect taxation imposed to prevent
Monaco differing from France. The principality could do
without this money, and this form of indirect taxation is
imposed only for the sake of keeping at peace with its
powerful neighbour. Also, as this tax is levied on articles
of consumption, such as tobacco, sugar, tea, coffee, wheat,
etc., the visitors consume more than tlie inhabitants, and
therefore contribute the larger part of the £35,000.

Where the inhabitants really do pay is in respect to

128

MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

legal costs, stamps and fees for acts, agreements, marriages,
mortgages, land transfer, etc. These charges may be
considered as a form of direct taxation, but they only
affect those persons who have need of such transactions.
As, however, there is so much business done, and pro-
sperity prevails, this form of taxation brings in a good deal,
something like another £30,000.

Now that there is the semblance of a Constitution,
public account is given as to the receipts and expenditure.
There has been created from the Private Domain a Public
Domain. The latter is a free gift from the prince to his
subjects, and consists of the buildings devoted to nmnici-
pal services and other public buildings such as churches,
schools, and all that is required for the public administra-
tion. But the prince keeps as his Private Domain the
squares and roads. This was necessary because the
principal roads are international, and for diplomatic
reasons must remain the private property of the prince,
so that he may carry out the obligations which, as sole
ruler, he contracted with other nations.

The Budget is divided into two parts. First we have
the " Consolidated Services," which comprise all the
expenditure of the prince's Government, the upkeep of the
palace, the donations, the pensions, the cost of government,
of diplomatic representation, of police, of justice, and other
analogous services. The second half is called the House or
Interior Services, and comprises municipal outlay, public
works, public education and fine arts, hospitals, hygiene
and poor rehef. It is this latter half of the Budget to
which the National Council, the newly constituted
representative and elected body, is invited to discuss
and criticise.

In regard to the ruling prince, there is of course no
Civil List. A Civil List implies that the Chief of the State
has not enough money to govern the country, and there-
fore asks his subjects to make him an allowance. The first
time this happened was in England, at the restoration, in
1660, of Charles II. Having been deprived of all resources

HOW THE MONEY IS SPENT 129

by the English revolution, he had to ask the English
Parliament to vote him a Civil List. Though also dethroned
and deprived of all their resources by the French and
ISIonegasque revolutions, the Grimaldis managed better,
and this even before the casino came to their aid.

To-day in England, Italy, Prussia, Spain, Belgium, the
republics of Switzerland, France, the United States, and
in many other countries, the people pay taxes, elect
Parliaments, and these bodies, representing the taxpayers,
decide how much shall be given to the Chief of the State.
It is the people who pay for the Civil List and decide what
the amount shall be. In Monaco the exact opposite is the
case. The people are liberated from all burdens. They are
exempt from military service and from taxation. Instead
of asking for a Civil List the prince pays for everybody,
and of late allows a certain amount of criticism on the
part of elected representatives. With the £50,000 regular
payment made to him annually by the casino, the prince
just manages to defray the cost of government, including
all the salaries, from that of the ]\Iinister of State down
to the humblest policeman. Adding to this the other
necessary expenditure, the estimate for 1912 sets down
the total at 4,650,987 francs, or £186,039. The biggest
items are the management of the regies and monopolies,
£21,675; public instruction, £14,111; hospital and poor
rehef, £8762.

From these figures we may conclude that the cost of
governing the principality is now a little more than
£186,000 per annum. The receipts slightly exceed the
round sum of £200,000, and of this rather more than
£110,000 comes from the gaming-tables. As the prince
is responsible for the entire outlay it will be seen that
though the casino is so large a contributor other sources
of revenue are necessary. Then there is also an Extra-
ordinary Budget, which deals with vast public works that
do not bear strictly on the annual outlay. These are set
down for the forthcoming year at £81,733 for public
works, which with some other small items bring up the

130 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

total estimated expenditure of the Extraordinary Budget
to £83,924, and lands the principahty in a big deficit.
Ah'eady we liear talk of loans and such fatal expedients.
But this is due not to an unsound financial position, it
is the result of exaggerated ambition and somewhat
wild embellishment schemes. However, in so far as such
extraordinary expenditure is sanctioned and incurred,
there is but one source from whence the money can be
obtained. This is the private treasury of the piince, and
part of his income comes from resources that are alto-
gether outside of the principahty.

When, on the other hand, the income is larger than
the expenditure, as it would be in 1912, if we set aside
the Extraordinary Budget, then such surplus is employed
by the prince to support enterprises, or works of scientific
interest, which favour progress and are likely to be of
practical use to humanity at large. Thus the prince does
not only give over the money he annually receives from the
casino to defray the cost of administering the principality,
the cost of government and the maintenance of the many
institutions, such as the schools, the hospital, the Courts
of Justice, etc., but he adds very large sums which he
derives from his estates in France and other private
sources of income.

The whole of the money obtained from the casino is
spent in the principality and for the benefit of its inhabit-
ants. The money thus given to them is much larger than
what other communities are able to gather even by heavy
taxation. In the United Kingdom of England and Ireland
the revenue is estimated at a trifle more than £4 a head
per annum. The local expenditure is equal to £3, 4s. for
every inhabitant, or a total average for national and local
government of £7, 4s. for every living person. The princi-
pality of M onaco has rather less than 20,000 inhabitants.
It may therefore be said that these inhabitants receive
annually, and in round figures, the sum of £6 each from
the casino. In other words, if the casino stopped payment
and the government was continued as at present, it would

ENGLISH TAXATION COMPARED 131

be necessary to tax the population at the average rate of
£6 each person. In England we pay £7, 4s. per annum ; at
Monaco the people receive £6 per annum ; and this takes
no account whatsoever of all that the prince also gives
them. Nowhere could a community be found that is so
fortunately situated, and nowhere else is so much spent —
all proportions being kept — on the advancement of the
arts and sciences.

CHAPTER IX

THE PRINCIPLES AND POLICY OF THE PRINCE

PRINCE ALBERT I., son of Charles III. and
Antoinette Ghislaine, Comtesse de M erode, in-
herited the right to reign as absolute and inde-
pendent sovereign of the principality of Monaco. But
he was also heir to a great number of French titles
acquired, as history shows, by his forefathers. When, in
1642, Honore II. threw off the Spanish domination he
received from Louis XIII. several titles and estates, such
as that of Duke of \'^alentinois, Marquis des Baux, Count
of Carladez, Baron du Buis, Lord of Saint-Remy in
Provence. By marriage with the Matignon family the
princes of ^lonaco inherited the titles of Lord of
Matignon, Count of Thorigny, Baron of Saint-L6, etc.
Finally, by marriage with the last heiress of the powerful
and illustrious families of Aumont and Mazarin, Honor^
passed over to the Grimaldis the titles of Duke of
Mazarin, Duke of Mayenne, Prince of Chateau-Porcien,
Count of Ferrette, of Belfort, of Thann and of Rosemont.
The title of Grandee of Spain is also attached to the
house of Grimaldi.

All these titles, however, are only inherited. The title
the Prince of Monaco values most is that which he has
obtained by his own personal efforts. As Associated
Member of the Academy of Sciences and Member of
the Institut de France, which is the union of the Five
Academies, he has won a name for himself. The title of
Mevibre de rinstitvt is one that cannot be inherited, and
is the highest reward of a career devoted to art or science.
After studying at the College Stanislas at Paris, the

132

GREATEST OF ALL TITLES 133

prince was instructed by the renowned Monseigneur
Dupauloup. Loving the sea, Uke most of his ancestors,
Prince Albert went to the naval school at Lorient, where
he learned navigation under French naval officers. Prince
Albert was not yet eighteen years old when he entered
the Spanish naval service. In two years' time he had
obtained the rank of Lieutenant, but left the service when
the Revolution came and Queen Isabella was driven from
the throne of Spain. No sooner did the Franco-German
War break out than Prince Albert, imitating the example
set by so many of his ancestors, offered to serve in
the French navy. He was at once attached to the staff
of Vice-Admiral Penhoat, on the Havoie. This ship
belonged to the second division of the Northern Fleet ;
but when the departure of the fleet was postponed Prince
Albert was allowed to join Vice-Admiral Fournichon,
who was cruising in the North Sea. Admiral Fournichon
placed him on board the Couronne, with the rank of
Lieutenant. The French, however, made little use of their
fleet in this war. The best service the French sailors
rendered was in managing the artillery and defending the
forts on the outskirts of Paris. The prince was therefore
soon free again, though his services were so well
appreciated that the Government of the French Republic
bestowed upon him the cross of the Legion of Honour.

By this time Prince Albert was no longer content
to follow in the footprints of his ancestors. It occurred
to him that there might be other distinctions than those
won at the point of the sword. He had not yet become
a Pacifist, but he understood that science had also its
victories and its glory. Then, being a sailor to the core,
it was natural that he should associate science with the
sea. To use the prince's own words, he soon learnt that
science spreads light and light engenders justice, and but
for the sense of justice we should drift to anarchy and
decadence. He felt also that to ensure progress it was
necessary to establish a sort of equilibrium between the
culture of art and the culture of science. Science must

134 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

dominate because it provides the practical needs of
existence, but art gives warmth to works of intellect,
softens sharp corners and helps to make life enjoyable.

Such ideas and much of the prince's philosophy may
be found in " La Carriere d'un Navigateur," written by
the prince himself and published at JNIonaco. This auto-
biography describes the earlier portions of the prince's
career as a scientific investigator. It was in the autumn
of 1873 that he first succeeded in obtaining possession
of a small sailing vessel, which he bought at Torquay,
and the name of which he changed from the Pleiades
to the Hirondelle. The description the prince gives of
his emotions when he first assumed command of the
ship is sure to evoke the sympathies of the reader, and it
is to be hoped that there will be no further delay in
publishing the English translation of this illuminating
work. It was in his small ship that Prince Albert dis-
covered that there did not exist efficient means, mechanical
and scientific instruments, to study the ocean and all that
appertains to the ocean. The princes greatest work in
life has been to supply this deficiency, and hence the
creation of a new science, the graphic study of the ocean,
or oceanography.

On the 10th September 1889 Prince Charles III.
died, and Prince Albert began his reign by reviving an
old ]Monegasque custom. He invited the head of every
Monegasque family, and, when they were all assembled
in the Court of Honour of the palace, asked if they were
satisfied that he should be their prince. Having been
enthusiastically acclaimed, he proceeded to the Throne
Room, and his subjects, following, were each and all
brought into personal contact with their new sovereign.
It was a patriarchal ceremony, something which would
be thought impossible in the nineteenth century. But
it is just these quaint and odd incidents that render
Monaco so interesting to the intelligent and appreciative
visitor. Monaco presents a happy combination of nmch
that is very ancient with the most scientific and modern

OLD CUSTOI\IS, MODERN SCIENCE 135

aspirations of the present epoch. No sooner was the
prince in power than lie sought to revive the old
institutions and create new ones. The hospital was at
once condemned, and a commission despatched to travel,
inspect the best hospitals, and report upon them. It will
be seen in another chapter that this reform has been most
successfully carried out. M. Gaston ]Moch, former pupil
of the Polytechnic School, where Napoleon was educated,
was deputed to travel in different countries to study and
report on the various methods of education. This report,
printed by the Government at Monaco, is a valuable
contribution to the problem of education, and has helped
in the carrying out of improvements in the principality.
But it is not necessary to catalogue here the various
reforms and improvements initiated or encouraged by the
prince. They will become evident as the various phases
of life in the principality are described. For the moment
I would endeavour to give some idea of the aim, the
principles which form the basis of the prince's acts and
ambitions. This I may venture to attempt because I
have before me the prince's book, and the text of many
speeches he has delivered, though what I value more is
the vivid recollection of several lengthy conversations.

On the occasion of my first audience I had just seen
something of the instructive collections which are be-
ginning to accumulate at the Oceanographic JNluseum,
and this led me to make some remark about the parsi-
mony of the British Government when it was a question
of helping the advance of science. The prince, however,
replied that other governments were equally wanting
in judgment. For instance, at that very moment Dr
Charcot found it extremely difficult to persuade the
French Government to incur the expense of publishing
the results of his recent expedition to the South Pole.
This was a work which, wiiile honouring the French
nation, would prove of benefit to the whole world. The
information gathered was much needed, and if not pub-
lished it would be lost. Such books should be in all public

136 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

libraries throughout the world, ready to the hand of
specialists requiring to consult them. If the world were to
progress much work must be done from which no com-
mercial return could be expected. This applied not only
to the printing of books but to many other matters, and
especially to scientific investigations. Many an undertaking
or experiment gave promise of usefulness at some future
date, but there was not sufficient prospect of immediate
profit to attract private enterprise. It was in such cases
that governments should take the lead, doing for the
public what no individual member of the public was
disposed to undertake. This was the prince's conception
of the mission and duty of governments.

In regard to the principality there was yet another
duty. From all parts of the world people came to Monte
Carlo. They enriched the principality by the money they
lost in gambling; and it was the duty of the prince, as
representing the principality, to endeavour to render in
exchange some international service. To the best of his
knowledge, of all the higher pursuits none was so
universal in the advantages it conferred, the discoveries
it made, as the study of science. Therefore the prince has
given £560,000 for scientific purposes of a purely inter-
national character. By the side of all the gaieties and
frivolities of Monte Carlo the prince has attempted to
create at Monaco a centre where some of the principal
problems affecting the peace and welfare of the whole
world are studied and a beneficent infiuence exercised.
Indeed, the follies and dissipations of Monte Carlo have
to some extent paved with gold the way to higher and
better things. Gamblers may be despicable, just as dirt is
obnoxious ; but dirt is useful matter in the wrong place,
and gambling has served as manure to fertilise the princi-
pality and to increase the prosperity of the whole lliviera.
Funds have been liberated, and are now devoted to re-
searches or enterprises that all acknowledge must contribute
to the greater knowledge and happiness of peoples and of
nations.

THE GOOD THAT IS DONE 137

Whenever there is any scientific work or research that
needs help, " I shall be there" (" J e serais la ") exclaimed the
prince, and past achievements testify that this is no empty
boast. By its museums, its archives, among the richest in
Europe, its Peace Institute, its costly and elaborate publi-
cations, by the encouragement given to music and the
arts, by all that is done — not for profit, but to promote
knowledge and progress — Monaco should attract the
thoughtful and the studious. The palace has become a
haven where the aristocracy of intellect is ever welcome.
Very emphatically the prince declared that the world had
no need of counts and dukes or princes, but wanted
men with brains and knowledge. He then expressed
apprehension with regard to the action of demagogy
because it could not appreciate intellect, and a movement
without intellect meant a disastrous levelling downwards.
This allusion was entirely spontaneous. I had said nothing
leading up to the subject. It seemed to be weighing on
his mind, but what was the prince's precise meaning when
he spoke of the overflow of demagogy {le debordement
demagogique) ? This was a very graphic and threatening
sentence. Was he thinking about syndicalism, sabotage
and the general strike ? Who had inspired his fears ? From
what class of the community did they spring ? ^Vould
that advisers could see with other eyes than those lumin-
ated onl)'' by interested motives. In the placid domain of
science, how easy it is to differ over the origin and history
of a rare specimen of fauna or flora. Nobody's future or
social position is at stake. But in politics or in economics
how are we to see clearly before us and reach the pure light
of truth through tlie brambles of personal interest ?

Whatever the prince's views may be with regard to
the great economic problems of the day, he has lost no
opportunity of developing the economic resources of the
principality. The most notable step in tiiis direction is
the conversion of the natural port of Hercules into a
modern harbour with quays, railway, breakwaters and
all the most I'ecent improvements. Again, at the princes

138 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

own cost land is reclaimed from the sea so as to increase
the industrial and manufacturing part of the principality.
But while commercial and industrial enterprise has been
thus encouraged, the law applying to joint stock or
limited companies has been stiffened so as to keep a
firmer grip upon such ventures, and render nefarious
transactions more difficult. At the same time the prince
also fought, though not always with success, to save
gardens, plants and the natural beauty of the principality
from destruction at the hands of speculating builders.
Further, to encourage commercial relations, JNIonaco has
as numerous a consular representation abroad as if it were a
large country. These consuls must have an easy time, but
when goods trains passing through the new tunnel come
alongside steamers moored to the quays of the port there
may be more international mercantile traffic than there is
at present. No important international exhibition has been
held, but the Monegasque pavilion, by its elegance and
originality, has constituted one of the attractions. This was
especially the case at the great centenary celebration held in
Paris in 1900, and also at the Brussels Exhibition of 1910.
It is well known that the prince is deeply attached
to the cause of peace. In spite of the bellicose character
of many among his most distinguished ancestors, his ideal
is to sustain " without bitterness and without hatred the
struggle for life." Then and then only will the human
conscience enjoy " inviolable tranquillity." In the Preface
to " La Carriere d'un Navigateur " the prince says that
" an ideal formed by the conception of future progress
visits the enlightened spirit of the wise, as the distant
pi'omise of a true civilisation. The prestige of this ideal
will banish the influence of particularism and disperse the
shadow which divides the children of the human family
when they are intoxicated with pride or cupidity and
when they are deceived by cruel lies about military
glory." The present condition of Europe, converted into
an armed camp, does not encourage these hopes, but
nevertheless a force is born of progress to unite con-

HUMAN SOLIDARITY 139

sciences ; a public conscience is asserting itself, and it
condemns all abuse of power, whether it be to crush a
man or to plunder a people ; it is the vague, undefined
aurora of a new day rising on the horizon of time to guide
living ci'eatures in their continual evolution. " My con-
victions will certainly shock conservative and timorous
minds, who conceal their fear of the unknown by mystic
illusions, mundane frivolities or the inertia of habit. But
the conscience of princes, for long subjugated by anti-
progressive traditions, may now be awakened by the
lessons of Nature and of Science ; it will then despise
a policy guided by the antagonism of nations, the rights
of the strongest and the fiction of frontiers ; it will
combat the atavic hatred engendered by religion, race
and caste and will aspire only towards a future when
Human Solidarity shall realise Justice."

Such, in a few words, is the prince's programme, and
it remains to record some of the steps he has taken
towards its realisation. Obviously one of the best means
of breaking down barriers and of bringing together the
populations of the world is to invite the elite of the
different nations to meet in friendly intercourse. For this
purpose international congresses are most useful. There-
fore the prince is ever ready to offer a large hospitality
to such congresses when they meet in the principality.
Thus in 1897 the International Congress of the I^iterary
and Artistic Association was held at Alonaco. In 1901 the
first congress of the International Marine Association was
held here. In 1902 took place the great International I*eace
Congress and the Conference of the International Associa-
tion of the Medical Press. The International Congress
of Anthropology and Prehistoric Archjtology assembled
at Monaco in 190G, and the International Congress of
Zoology in 1912. After the Peace Congress of 1902 the
prince founded an International Institute of Peace at
Monaco, as a centre of propaganda, while personally he
has constantly travelled to visit those whom he might hope
to influence in favour of the cause of science and of peace.

CHAPTER X

THE ACTION OF PRINCE ALBERT I. IN THE PRESERVATION
OF EUROPEAN PEACE

GIVEN the opportunity and the man, there are no
limits to the possibiUties of human achievements.
In Monaco we have the man, in Europe the
opportunity. Only there are deeds that dye the pages of
history with letters of blood, while other acts are so
modestly performed that their record does not stand
forth self-revealed. Indeed many of the best actions could
not be accomplished if there were much talk about them
at the time. Discretion in diplomacy is indispensable. To
claim, however, that anyone in Monaco could influence
the destinies of Europe may seem somewhat absurd,
considering the diminutive size of the principality. Yet,
in certain circumstances, it was precisely the smallness of
the principality that became an element of strength, and
the best of recommendations. Such a little state could
not be suspected of entertaining sinister designs on other
countries, and its representative could therefore speak
without exciting mistrust of his motives. On the other
hand, the fact that the state was so small deprived its
chief of the right of being heard in the councils of Europe.

What could the opinion of JNIonaco matter to the
great powers ? Therefore we have to fall back upon the
man rather than the prince.

To exercise an influence in the councils of nations
many qualities are required. First of all, a position is
needed that will serve as an introduction. In this respect,
even in these democratic days, the question of family, of
pedigree, is still of importance.

140

WHAT DIPLOMACY NEEDS 141

Now, if there be any virtue in a long lineage of rulers
the Prince of Monaco holds indisputably the first place
in Europe. Whether the present prince is descended
from the Grimaldi who is said to have received Monaco
at the hands of the Emperor Otho I., in a.d. 968, or
from Grimaldi, who was Consul of CJenoa in 1162, the
Grimaldis are obviously the oldest reigning family in
Europe. With but temporary interruptions, they have
governed Monaco during six centuries. For those who
believe in " blue blood," ancient descent, the Divine
Right of Kings, the house of Grimaldi should hold the
first place among the sovereign families of Europe. None
of them is as old, for it was not till 1273 that Rudolphe
of Hapsburg was elected Emperor of Germany, and sub-
sequently delegated one of his sons to govern Austria.

Such considerations are, however, of but little account
in our days, unless the possessor of a long pedigree has
also inherited the wealth or the capacities for which his
ancestors were distinguished. This is precisely the case
with regard to the present Prince of Monaco. He is not
only blessed with an ample share of this world's goods,
for he possesses extensive and valuable estates in France,
but he has also inherited some of the most precious
characteristics of his ancestors. During a life of adventure
and danger, he has given hostages to fortune, and none
can doubt his powers of endurance, his presence of mind
and courage. Whether exploring in the Arctic seas or
the tropical regions, in weather fair or foul, the prince
has always shown himself a true sea captain, sharing with
his crew every danger and every hardship. But the prince
has inherited from his long line of ancestors another and
a greater quality, which is not so easily recognised by the
general public. It needs but a moment's reflection to
realise that no amount of physical courage would have
sufficed to enable the Grimaldis to keep their hold on
Monaco for so many centuries. Even though the princi-
pality was much larger than it is now, it was always a
comparatively small country, and therefore in danger of

142 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

being absorbed by its powerful neighbours — Genoa, Savoy
and Provence, to say nothing of France and Aragon,
which, if at a greater distance, were as aggi-essive and still
more powerful. Though the princes of Monaco often
fought, and fought very gallantly, tliey could only save
the principality from annexation by forming advantageous
alliances. In a word, it was by diplomacy, rather than by
hard fighting, that the independence of Monaco was
preserved during so many centuries, and the reigning
prince has inherited not only the courage but also the
diplomatic tact that distinguished many of his ancestors.
All this, however, is merely the prince's good fortune,
the happy accident of his birth ; but to such initial
advantage he has added the real and personal glory of
becoming himself an ancestor. During the Great Revolu-
tion, when the most extraordinary galaxy of renowned
geniuses sprang from the ranks, and saved France from
the attacks of all Europe, Royalists often sneered at the
principal Republican leaders because they had no pedigree,
no ancestors. On one such occasion, a proud answer was
made — " Yes, it is true we have no ancestors, but then
we are ourselves ancestors."

In spite of the dimness of the future we may rest
assured that coming generations, in the long vista of
years, will gratefully recall the memory of the present
Prince of Monaco as the Father of Oceanographic
Science. As this science renders more and more service
to humanity, so Avill the prince become an ancestor from
whom all would be pi'oud to claim descent. To have so
largely contributed to create a new and fruitful science
is a victory which, when the world becomes more en-
lightened and less barbaric, will be recognised as a far
better title to glory and gratitude than victories won on
the fields of battle. Thus any court would be honoured
in receiving a prince who represents the oldest reigning
family, who is personally endowed with courage, diplo-
matic tact, and possesses a large fortune. But the honour
of entertaining such a guest is greatly intensified when it

PEACE AND SCIENCE 143

is known that the prince devotes his private means to
promoting scientific research for the pubUc good ; and, in
so doing, lias himself attained eminence as a scientific
authority. A royal prince has become a member of the
Aristocracy of Intellect — a title that can never be inherited.
The Republic of Letters and Science, a republic which
has long since abolished frontier demarcations, is proud
to claim the Prince of Monaco as a colleague and a
fellow-citizen. Thus it has come about that the prince is
equally at home at Potsdam or at the Palais de I'Elysee.

Naturally, for it is a matter of paramount interest,
wild attempts have been made to discover to what use
the prince has put his exceptional opportunities, and much
has been said and printed which is the result of mere
guessing. On one occasion, when alluding to this subject,
Professor Charles Richet told me that he had been
invited for a two months' cruise on board the Princesse
Alice, when the prince was pursuing his oceanographic
researches. These were, the eminent professor enthusi-
astically added, the two most pleasant months of his life.
They were seven boon companions, and nothing could
exceed the fascinating interest and the friendly character
of the conversations on board, more especially at meal-
times. It was in the course of these discussions that
Professor Richet was able to expatiate on the object and
meaning of the Pacifist policy. He insisted, of course,
on the good that had already been accomplished, the
ti'eaties in favour of arbitration between different powers
which were already signed, and the hope that, in time,
arbitration would always be accepted as the only just
solution of differences between nations. The prince then
agreed to organise the next International Peace Congress
at Monaco, where it was held in the spring of 1902.

Apart from the reasons given above, Prince ^Vlbert I.
has easy access to the Imperial Court of Berlin because
he is a near relation of the reigning house of Wurtem-
berg. There is no doubt that the I'rince of Monaco's
great strength rests in the fact that he can speak to the

144 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Kaiser on equal terms, and this he utihses for the sake
of telHng him the truth. The Emperor of Germany,
in spite of all the power he exercises, and the heavy
responsibilities that weigh upon him, does not always
know the truth. However desirous he may be of judging
impartially all questions at issue, he is surrounded by
persons whose interest it is to conceal the truth ; and who,
at times, even endeavour to produce an absolutely false
impression. In such circumstances, it is not surprising
that the German Emperor should welcome the visit of
a friend who can have no possible interest to serve by
making false representations. Apart from the fact that he
is an ardent member of the Peace Society, the Prince
of Monaco and the principality have everything to lose
from the outbreak of war, especially if it were a war
between France and Germany. Therefore the Kaiser can
listen with confidence to the information and advice given
by the Prince of Monaco ; and thus, on more than one
occasion, have the scales been removed from the eyes
of those who had been deceived. A king or the chief
of a state rarely knows the truth. The fact that the prince
was received in the Kaiser's intimate councils naturally
made the President of the French Republic anxious to
hear what he might have to say ; thus, in France as in
Germany, Prince Albert has been able to give weighty
words of advice when difficult and dangerous incidents
occurred.

There were moments when the official diplomatic
relations between France and Germany had reached such
a point of tension that neither party dared say anything
further, lest, being misunderstood, an open rupture should
result. On such occasions, the Prince of Monaco, who was
recognised on both sides as having no personal interest
to serve beyond the general desire to prevent war, could
travel between the court of Berlin and the Quai d'Orsay
or the Palais de I'Elysee with arguments, explanations,
suggestions or plans for new combinations. If these were
badly received it did not matter. The prince was not

THE PRINCE AND THE KAISER 145

officially an ambassador or a diplomatic agent, he was
not even a simple subject of either of the countries
concerned, so that Avhatever he said, and however he
might be treated, he could not become a casus belli. This
enabled him to speak of many things which an official
or an ambassador could not have mooted. On the other
hand, such informal, unofficial conversations were much
better calculated to result in the discovery of a solution.
Then, when it was ascertained quite informally that such
a solution would be acceptable to both parties, it could
be brought forward through official channels without fear
of provoking any untoward incident. Thus the prince
was of great help in preventing war over the Morocco
difficulty, and in bringing about the peaceful solution that
took the form of the Algeciras Treaty. During that great
crisis, when M. Delcasse, the French Minister of Foreign
Affairs, was sacrificed to appease German anger, there
was a moment when the relations between the two
countries were practically broken off. The prince then
undertook to represent the views of the French Premier,
M. Rouvier, to the Kaiser, and succeeded in so composing
matters that official diplomatic relations were reopened.
In this, as in all other questions, the prince's action
is always absolutely pacific.

At the most critical moment, however, it seemed as
if these efforts would prove futile. The prince had just
arrived in Paris from Berlin. He was brimming over with
hope and happy anticipation. At Berlin he had held
promising conversations with the Kaiser, and was squeezing
a portfoho fondly under his arm, for it contained, he
imagined, terms of suggestions that would bridge over
all the difficulties. These proposals seemed so important
that, instead of going home to his Paris residence after
his long journey, the prince drove straight from the
station to the Foreign Office and asked to see M. Rouvier
on a matter of the utmost urgency. This, he was told,
was impossible, the Premier being at the Chambers. The
prince thereupon insisted on telephoning to the Chambers,

I

146 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

and soon received the disconcerting reply that the Govern-
ment had just been defeated and was about to resign. The
hopes of peace had now to be deferred till after the forma-
tion of a new ministry, and the terms of agreement with
the German Government the prince thought INI. Rouvier
would approve might not seem equally acceptable to his
successor at the Foreign Office. Fortunately M. Bourgeois,
who succeeded JNI. Rouvier, was just as desirous of main-
taining peace, and the new Government availed themselves
of the explanations, suggestions and facilities the prince
secured during his friendly and unofficial chats with the
Kaiser. It was in this manner that the prince very
effisctively helped to bring about the Conference and
Treaty of Algeciras.

In regard to the more recent crisis, when in 1911
affairs in Morocco seemed once more likely to disturb the
peace of Europe, the prince did not take any part in the
negotiations. In answer to my questions on the subject,
Prince Albert said it was merely a game of grab, in which
he had no sympathy and was not desirous of being
concerned. It would be a source of great happiness to him
to contribute in any way possible to the prevention of
war, but he had no desire to have a voice in the sharing
of the spoils.

It is obvious that in speaking of the relations between
governments precise details cannot be given. The influence 4

of the Prince of Monaco and of others who may have *

attempted a similar role must of necessity depend on its
anonymous character. Discretion, therefore, is the condition
of existence, and the prince himself is more anxious to
place those with whom he is associated in a favourable
light than to speak of his own efforts. Thus the prince
does not hesitate, on all propitious occasions, to protest
against the false and mischievous opinions prevailing with
regard to the Kaiser. He insists that, in spite of appearances
to the contrary, the Emperor of Germany is in favour
of peace. His apparent militarism, his praises of the army,
are due to the belief the emperor entertains that military

I

I
f

THE BERGEN EPISODE 147

service is a great educational influence, and is necessary
quite independently of purposes of warfare. This being the
case, Prince Albert was better able to promote the cause
of peace in diff'erent directions, and rendered, for instance,
great service at Bergen in July 1899, when the French
training-ship Iphigenic came in contact with the Hohen-
zollern. The French Government had given no instructions
to the captain of the Ij)higenie. He was told to go to
Bergen and do the best he could, but on his own respon-
sibility. It was an awkward position. What could the
captain of a French naval training-ship say to the German
Emperor ? Fortunately the Prince of Monaco, who was
at that time busily occupied with his oceanographic
researches, steered for Bergen in the hope of meeting the
Kaiser, who is also much interested in deep-sea explora-
tions. The prince at once grasped the situation, and from
his own yacht, the Princesse Alice, he rowed rapidly
backward and forward between the HohenzoUern and
the Iphigenie.

The French Commander had accomplished all the acts
of courtesy towards the German Emperor which are the
rule under such circumstances, and was invited on board
the Imperial yacht. Here he was most amicably received.
But then, as the prince ruefully remarked when he de-
scribed the incident to me, it was not quite so easy a matter
to arrange for the return visit. It was all very well
receiving a French officer on a German pleasure yacht,
but to invite the German War Lord on board a French
war training-ship was a much more delicate affair. The
prince, however, ultimately overcame all the difficulties,
and he had the pleasure of seeing the German Emperor
step on the deck of the French ship, where he was
courteously received and all the honours rendered.
This was a most important event, for it constituted the
first step toward friendly dealings between France and
Germany. But for the prince's presence at Bergen, his
diplomatic tact and personal influence with the Kaiser, this
rapprochement might have been deferred for several years.

148 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

The staff and the pupils of the Iphigenie were subse-
quently invited on board the Hohenzollern, and for the
most part responded to the invitation. Here they met
some German cadets, for a German training-ship had now
also arriv^ed at Bergen. The Prince of Monaco, after helping
to bring about this interesting but delicate meeting, had
the great satisfaction of seeing the young sailors of both
nations fraternise in the presence of the emperor. Before
his officers and his guests, the Kaiser bestow^ed a decora-
tion on the Commandant of the Iphigenie, informing him,
at the same time, that he had asked the French Govern-
ment to allow him to accept this honour. To the Prince
of Monaco, who is so profoundly attached to the modern
conceptions that seek to efface old antagonism and replace
violence and war by arbitration, this friendly meeting of
French and Germans at Bergen was a most auspicious
event. On several other and analogous occasions the
prince has been able to bring about similar results ; thus
ever seeking to conciliate and to pacify, and making full
use of his social position and personal prestige to promote
this good cause.

In the days of the Dreyfus affair the prince played
a very useful part. Not only did he assist some of the
victims, but he was able to give the French Government
very positive assurances of the innocence of Dreyfus.
Indeed, it is said that these assurances were so conclusive
that they helped to hasten the untimely end of the late
President, M. Felix Faure. Certainly M. Felix Faure
was in a painful position. He was tied to the Clerical and
Nationalist Party, whose very existence depended on
preventing a revision of the Dreyfus trial. An hour and
a quarter before M. Felix Faure's death, the Archbishop
of Paris came to see him, and probably insisted on the
need of continued resistance to the demand, daily growing
in strength, for the revision of the Dreyfus case. At five
in the afternoon, an hour before the fatal attack, the
Prince of Monaco called. It would not have been in
keeping with their sense of dignity for the German

I

AT THE DEATH OF M. FAURE 149

Government, unsolicited, to have volunteered evidence
with regard to Dreyfus. But the German Emperor could,
in private conversation, assure his friend, the Prince of
Monaco, that the German Government had never enter-
tained any relations whatever with Captain Alfred
Dreyfus, and knew nothing about him. Of course the
prince would communicate this to President Faure, and
the theory is that the anxiety and irritation caused by
such news hastened on the fatal attack. But the prince,
in conversation, has explained that, when he saw the
president for the last time, he found him distracted and
absent-minded. So much was this the case that, whatever
may have been the object the prince had in view on that
particular afternoon, he gave it up, seeing that the
president was not listening to him, and that, in his state
of mind, it was no use attempting to explain matters.

The prince left the president at twenty minutes past
five o'clock, and M. Faure was then looking forward to
the visit of the fascinating lady who subsequently became
the chief figure of a sensational cmise ceUhrc. Perhaps
such pleasing anticipations made it difficult for the
president to listen with due attention to the Prince of
Monaco's grave admonitions. More probably, the fact
that the president had not full control of his mind may
be taken as a premonitory symptom of the approaching
attack. It was six o'clock when the president suddenly
became unconscious, just forty minutes after the Prince
of Monaco's departure. A doctor, whom M. Faure had
met during a shooting expedition, happened to be calling
at the Elys^e at that moment. Being the nearest medical
man to hand, his services were at once requisitioned. He
was taken, not upstairs, but downstairs to the room of
M. Faure's secretary. It was not in his own room, but
in his secretary's office, that M. Faure was in the habit
of receiving the lady in question, nor was she his only
lady visitor. Seeing what occurred, the opinion naturally
arose that the president had been more gallant than was
prudent at his age. When the doctor entered the

150 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

secretary's office he found the lady still there. She was
so terrified at the president's condition and excited by
the occurrence that she was unable to attend to her
toilet. On the other hand, it was most urgent to get
rid of her with the utmost speed. Therefore her cloak
was bundled round her anyhow, and she was given over
to a policeman, who had to put her swiftly in a cab and
see her home. M. Faure's family was then summoned,
and the world was startled by the news of the sudden
death of the President of the French Republic.

One of the principal obstacles to the revision of
the Dreyfus trial was thus removed. M. Emile Loubet,
who succeeded M. Felix Faure in the presidency of
the republic, was not an agent of the Clerical Party. He
had, therefore, no objection to the revision. Thus the
truth was at last known and the ends of justice attained.
But in this struggle there had been many victims. Among
others there was I'Abbe Pichon, who lost his chair as
Professor of Mathematics because he had ventured to
speak in favour of Dreyfus. The prince, however, came
to his rescue and gave him the living of the little church
of St Dt^vote in the romantic ravine between the
Condamine and Monte Carlo. Other princely acts of
kindness helped to soften the asperities of that great
struggle which brought France to the verge of civil war.

As an after-consequence of the Dreyfus affair there
followed what has erroneously been called the separation
of the Church and State in France. It was by the Decree
of the 2nd December 1789, when Louis XVL was king,
that the State nationalised all Church property and under-
took to maintain the churches and the hospitals. In those
days, as again to-day, the clergy refused to be controlled
by the State. During the revolution that followed, the
Church was swept away. It was gradually restored when
the reaction came, and finally rested on the Concordat
concluded between the Pope and Napoleon in 1801. It is
the Concordat which, as one of the results of the Dreyfus
affair, has now been destroyed. It will be remembered

THE PAPAL CIRCULAR 151

that when President Loubet went to Rome he did not call
on the Pope. The latter at once despatched a protest to all
the governments containing a sentence which had been
carefully omitted from the protest sent to the French
Government. This sentence consisted of the statement
that, if relations with France were not broken off, it was
only because the Pope hoped the actual French Govern-
ment would soon be out of office ! With surprising
rapidity. M. Jaures heard of this and brought the matter
before the French National Assembly. It produced the
long-expected climax. All connection between the French
Government and the Papal See was severed, the
Concordat destroyed, and the State resumed the owner-
ship of the property the Church had controlled under
Concordat.

The indiscretion which brought about this tremendous
revolution was attributed to the Prince of Monaco. The
prince was believed to be on friendly terms with M.
Jaures and several of M. Jaures' friends. The prince had
befriended victims of the clerical persecutions directed
against those who asked for justice on behalf of Dreyfus.
As an independent sovereign, the prince had received the
papal circular, and had doubtless called attention to the
discrepancy in the text, thus rendering the very greatest
service to the cause of freedom. The prince, however,
energetically repudiates .any such honour. Judged from
the moral standard established in diplomatic relations, it
would, on the contrary, be a dishonourable action to give
such information. When I had an opportunity of ques-
tioning the prince on this matter he very emphatically
declared that nothing would induce him to show a secret
document. How a document can be secret when it is
addressed to every government, and must be read by
several civil servants in the employ of those governments,
is another matter. In any case, the Prince of Monaco can
meet the accusation levelled against him by a very good
alibi. It so happened that at the time the incident occurred
the prince was away on one of his oceanographic expedi-

152 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

tions. He was out of reach on the distant seas. The prince ;

thought the accusation of a diplomatic breach of faith f

circulated against him could be attributed to the spirit of |

revenge engendered by the fact that he had taken the part ■'

of Dreyfus against his clerical persecutors.

Needless to say, when I had the privilege of being
received in audience by the Prince of Monaco, I asked
for intimate details concerning what part the prince
had taken in seeking to preserve the peace of Europe.
The prince replied that this was a delicate question.
Undoubtedly he had done his best. To him it was incom-
prehensible that, in the face of modern scientific progi'ess
and the immense development of intellectual work, there
should still be persons suffering from such mental aberra-
tion as to believe in the righteousness of force and to
think that might meant right. Speaking with an easy flow
of language and with great earnestness, the prince
assured me that he did not believe such people were very
numerous. Very few persons, after all, cared to incur the
awful responsibility of war. It was a great mistake, he
insisted, to give credence to the firebrand theory. It
might be difficult to realise, but it was nevertheless a
fact that those who were accused of militarist tendencies,
of sanguinary ambition, were in reality most anxious to
preserve the peace. If a quarrel arose, the prince added,
it was not a national quarrel ; it was not even a govern-
mental quarrel. It was only due to two or three indi-
viduals who pursued a personal and not a national interest.
When such a contingency occurred, it was comparatively
easy for an outsider who was obviously disinterested to
unmask such machinations. This was the part the prince
had occasionally been able to play, and he laughed
heartily when I suggested that, after all, no one would
suspect him of an annexionist policy. The prince several
times insisted on the general pacific disposition of all
politicians and statesmen. But here and there, he repeated,
a few individuals got up a scare, created a grievance, and
deliberately fomented trouble. Behind such action, there

THE PRINCE AND PEACE 153

was always some selfish, personal interest to serve. It
sufficed to discover and to denounce these intrigues to
prevent war. When, and this was usually the case, it
could be shown that the patriotic outcry was started by
those who hoped to fill their pockets if war ensued, the
scare created generally collapsed. It had been the prince's
object to unravel these sordid conspiracies against the
public peace, and, by exposing their ti-ue character to the
rulers most concerned, to prevent the mischief that, in
the absence of such explanations, might have ensued.
Thus he had endeavoured to work for the cause of peace.
It was not for him to say with what measure of success,
but he did not hesitate to declare that he had done his
best.

CHAPTER XI

BUILDING UP THE NEW SCIENCE OF OCEANOGRAPHY

WHILE following the development of current
politics and keeping a keen watch for an
opportunity of intervening in favour of peace,
Prince Albert never ceased the pursuit of his scientific
studies and researches. On his little schooner of 200 tons,
and with a crew of only fifteen sailors, he succeeded in
collecting specimens from a depth of 9000 feet. It required
three hours and a quarter of manual labour to lower the
special sort of net constructed for this purpose, and nine
and a half hours to bring it up again. A donkey engine
would have saved much wearisome toil. Nevertheless from
1885 to 1888 the prince made four expeditions on the
Hirondelle. In 1891, Messrs Green, shipbuilders, London,
constructed a yacht of 600 tons for the prince, which was
called the Princesse Alice I. It had an auxiliary engine of
350 horse-power and a small scientific laboratory on board.
With this ship very fruitful expeditions were made from
1892 to 1897. South-west of Madeira the sea was
explored to a depth of close upon 1800 feet; but now a
still larger vessel of 1373 tons was built for the prince at
Laird's yards, Birkenhead. This was the Princesse Alice II.,
and she had triple expansion engines of 1000 horse-power,
and could travel 13 knots an hour. Captain H. Carr, of the
English navy, was second in command of this ship from
1891 to 1906. Oceanography consists in part of engineer-
ing and mechanical arts, for a new study requires new
instruments. A few years ago, if we stood on the deck
of a ship, we had no means, no methods existed, by which
we might investigate what existed at any great depth in

154

IN DEEP WATERS 155

the ocean underneath. There was no rope that could be
sunk to the necessary depth with an apparatus that would
bring up, in an unspoilt condition, specimens of what lies
at the bottom of the sea. On board the Princcsse Alice II.
a specially constructed cable was placed. It was made
with numerous galvanised steel threads cunningly inter-
twined to give the maximum of strength with the minimum
of bulk and of weight. Though this wonderful metallic
rope could pan out to the total length of 39,000 feet, it
could drag a weight of seven tons without snapping.
Some people imagine that oceanography means an
aquarium and the preserving of a few fish in bottles of
alcohol ; it means, among a hundred other technical,
mechanical and scientific attainments, the construction of
such a cable as I have just described. Then there is the
fitting out of ships with elaborate physiological, bacterio-
logical and chemical laboratories on board. There must of
course be swinging tables that will remain steady while
the ship rolls, so that the chemical experiments may not
be disturbed. There must be the necessary scientific
reference library on board. Then, and though difficult to
secure against breakage, there is need of a large amount
of chemical apparatus, mostly of fragile glass and alcohol,
for the preservation of specimens. Though an exceptional
amount of light is necessary in the laboratories, especially
for dissection, a dark room for photography is also
required. Thus, and taken altogether, the fitting out of
a ship for exploring the ocean is a technique in itself, and
an absolutely new technique. This is one of the reasons
why oceanography is a novel science and is not to be
confused with natural history.

Finally in 1911 the Hirondelle II. was built by the
Societe des Forges et Chanticrs de Id Mcditerranee, and the
prince has already made one expedition in this, his newest
ship. It differs from the Princcsse Alice II., mainly because
it is larger — namely, 1650 tons, with 2000 horse-power and
a speed of 15 knots. Of course the scientific installation
on board comprises the latest improvements, including not

156 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

merely wireless telegraphy but also wireless telephony,
by which sounds made at a great distance can be registered.
Some experiments were attempted in telephony on board
the Hirondelle II. off Toulon, and hopes are entertained
that they will lead to a great simplification of the trans-
mitting and receiving apparatus. In the meanwhile, the
" Marseillaise " played at Algiers was heard and registered
on board the HirotideUe II. off Toulon.

During this, the first expedition with the new ship,
a very remarkable species of octopus was discovered. Its
body, like that of a jelly-fish, was so transparent that the
internal organs could be clearly seen, but the most
wonderful feature is the one large eye this fish possesses.
The eye is divided into two parts, one for seeing and
the other for projecting a phosphorescent light. Indeed,
luminous fish with eyes that are lanterns abound in those
lower depths about which we knew so little but a few
years ago. Professor Charles Richet, notably, described
to me a fish that seemed the very pei'sonification of
prudence. This animal has only a very small body to feed,
but an enormous mouth wherewith to capture the food.
Then at the back of this huge mouth there is a luminous
eye. Therefore, when it has secured a good mouthful, it
turns on the light and has a careful look at Avhat it is
about to swallow. Would that we were always as well
informed before taking to ourselves the alimentary
products that modern industrialism throws on to the
mai'ket. The fish that gives this example of prudence is
known as the eurypharynx.

During his expeditions the prince assumes the supreme
command. At present Commandant d'Arodes, who at-
tained the rank of captain of a frigate in the French
navy, and Lieutenant Bouree assist in the command.
Dr Jules Richard, who has worked in the laboratory since
1888, is entrusted with the zoological researches, and is
assisted by the prince's private secretary, ]\L Fuhrmeister.
On each cruise different professors and scientific authorities
are selected, according to the nature of the researches

L'lllKOMir.l.l.K Il"'Kr.Al>V to bk launcmei

VERTICAL EXPLORATIONS 157

about to be made, and invited to accompany the prince.
Then an able artist, M. L. Tinayre, also forms part of the
staff, so as to paint pictures of the specimens captured
before their coloms fade. To further ensure that no ex-
perience shall be lost, Lieutenant Bouree has now become
an expert in colour photography, and thus we ha^e the
evidence of photography as well as that gi\en bj^ the
artist's brush. The crew, for the most part, are recruited
from the fishing population of the coasts of Brittany, for
the work is often extremely arduous and a very hardy,
reliable set of men is needed.

Tlie oceanographic researches, conducted by the
prince in person, extend from 81° north of Spitzberg
to 12"05'' south of the Cape Vert archipelago. ]\Ieasured,
in the vertical sense, these investigations, Mith the aid
of balloons, have reached to a height of 43,400 feet ; and,
with the special apparatus invented for the purpose, tlie
sea has been studied down to a depth of nearly 20,000 feet.
The first studies were devoted to the superficial currents
of the Northern Atlantic, notably the Gulf Stream, but
the Azores present conditions that are specially favoura])le
from the biological and bathymetrical point of view. The
latter terin means the life existing at different depths.
How can animals be collected that live at a certain depth
without capturing, at the same time, animals that live
above or below this zone. The science of oceanography
consists, among other things, of inventing instruments
to sohe this problem.

Altogether, and up to the beginning of 1912, the prince
has made twenty-four different maritime oceanographic
explorations. The separate operations performed during
these expeditions amount to not less than 3160. But of
supreme interest are the measures taken to ensure that
this labour of giants shall not be lost to humanity. Above
all it is necessary that with the disappearance of its prime
promoter, the work shall still continue. For this reason
the prince has founded and, above all, endowed the
Museum and Institute of Oceanography. Then no trouble

158 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

or money has been spared to print with beautiful, artistic
and coloured illustrations a lengthy record of what has
been done. These publications are issued by the Govern-
ment Printing Works of Monaco in the handsome ybr/«a/
known as " grand jesus quarto," on beautiful special
paper, and no less than thirty-seven large volumes have
now been published. In themselves they constitute a
lasting monument, and will be consulted during ages
to come by students of nature. ]\Iany of the volumes deal
each with a different category of fish. For instance,
Vol. II. treats of the sponge-dwellers of the North
Atlantic ; Vol. III. shell-fish; Vol. VII. crabs; Vol. IX.
the octopus species ; Vol. XII. the star-fish, and Vol. XVI.
the amphipodes or shrimp-like creatures. On the other
hand, V^ol. XXII. is not concerned with fish, but with
the water in which they live and its chemical composition.
The pictures depict the apparatus for analyses and for
taking photographs under water, ^^ol. XXI V^ is very
important and interesting, for it deals with the normal
existence of arsenic in organisms.

The first researches in regard to arsenic were made by
Gabriel Bertrand to prove cases of poisoning. In 1836
the Marsh method of analysis overcame the principal
difficulty, as with its aid the presence of a milligram
could be detected, even when in combination with organic
tissues. But the question arose whether the presence of
some arsenic was not a normal condition. After many
experiments, this was denied, till Gautier rediscovered
arsenic in the tissues. Considering that while arsenic is
so often used for criminal purposes its beneficent effects
in the treatment of certain diseases are becoming more
and more evident, the arsenic problem becomes a matter
of great practical importance. Therefore it is interesting
to see if oceanography can throw a new light on the
question. Vol. XXIV. confirms the existence of arsenic
in the normal tissues of man and animals. The illustrations
give the apparatus employed, and the methods of research
are explained. Many animals were captured in the Atlantic

OCEANOGRAPHIC PUBLICATIONS 159

and at once examined for arsenic. In examining sea-birds,
only the feathers were used, as the flesh might be in-
fluenced by the abundance of the arsenic in the shot with
which they were killed. From sponge-like growth to the
vertebrae, all specimens examined were found to contain
arsenic in the system, and this independently of the time
or place of their capture. It seems, therefore, clear that
arsenic has a part to play in our being, that it is an
element of the living cellulla, and is present just as we
find carbon, nitrogenous matter, sulphur and phosphorus.

Vol. XXIX. gives some account of the presence
of sulphuric acid in various parts of the sea. It deals
with the means of estimating the varying transparency
of water and its colorisation, the floating apparatus for
measuring the rapidity of currents, and gives intei'csting
pictures of the crystals that compose sand ; so it will be
seen that there are many other things to be considered
besides fish in the study of oceanography. No one should
go to Monaco without including in his programme a visit
to the Municipal Library. However ignorant of science
and technicalities, the pictures, in any case, are so beauti-
fully coloured, so strange and wonderful, that they cannot
fail to interest. Let the visitor ask for the thirty-seven
volumes, or Fascicules, as they are called, on Oceanog-
raphy and he will get just a glimmer of what that term
means and of the tremendous amount of labour done
in Monaco to endow the world with a new and useful
science.

It was on the 25th of April 1899 that the foundation
stone of the Oceanographic Museum was laid. On
this occasion, at any rate, the nobler aspirations of
the human mind were manifest ; petty rivalries were
laid aside, and for once even active, practical politicians
allowed themselves to dream of the great things peace
allied with science might achieve. To show his apprecia-
tion and interest the Kaiser instructed the German
Ambassador in Paris, Count von Munster, to proceed to
Monaco. At the ceremony of laying the foundation stone,

160 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Count von Munster Avas very emphatic in expressing the
German Emperor's sympathy and interest. He concluded
his speech with these words :

" This monument about to be built in one of the most
beautiful spots of Europe will crown worthily the work
of Your Highness, and I admire the thought of making
this a rallying centre for all who take interest in the
sea.

" By offering so noble a hospitality to the learned of
all countries, Your Highness will contribute to the good-
fellowship and closer relations of all nations."

The French Government was not behind the Kaiser
in expressing its sympathy and admiration. They des-
patched Admiral Brown de Colstoun, who likewise
congratulated the prince.

Considering that Great Britain is in the first rank
among maritime nations, and, with the cruise of the
Challenger and other explorations, can claim to have
actively contributed to the development of oceanographic
knowledge, it is difficult to understand why no spokesman
on behalf of the British Government was present to take
part in the felicitations offered by the governments of
France and Germany. As it was, the Prince of Monaco
found himself alone to face the representatives of
the two rival countries. Undoubtedly it was a diffi-
cult situation, well calculated to tax to the utmost
the diplomatic skill which so many members of the
house of Grimaldi fortunately have possessed. In dealing
with the endeavours of the prince to maintain peace,
especially between Germany and France, I have alluded
to his disbelief in the supposed warlike proclivities of
certain chiefs of states and governments. The speech
delivered by the prince in reply to the German and
French representatives supports this statement. The
prince said:

" The Emperor William at a moment when Europe is
endeavouring to dissipate menacing dangers, gives evidence
of reassuring feelings, since he sends one of his most vener-

DIPLOIMACY AND SCIENCE 161

ated representatives to take part in consolidating a
scientific mission.

" Yes, the emperor who sets the example of intellectual
efforts, who grants a cordial reception to a -working-class
deputation, who sends even to the simple pioneers of
Ij HirondeUe and ha Princesse Alice testimony of esteem,
this emperor is acting like a true friend of peace."

Then turning to Admiral Brown de Colstoun, the
prince continued :

" And you, Admiral, representing the nation which
breathed upon the world the warm breath of its genius ;
you who have been sent by a president who has become
great by reason of the clearness of his acts, the firmness
of his soul, and the suffrage of the French people ; you
who received me in a day of storm and wreck, tell the
French sailors, tell the companions of my youth, that my
sailors are still at work, and that my old affection will
last so long as I exist.

"Now, when I see the delegates of the emperor and
of the president unite round this stone, which summarises
the alliance of labour and of thought, of that which is
greatest in human nature, I wonder what is the new force
appearing in the hearts of men to dominate the older
instincts, and I foresee a light which science will kindle,
and which will more evenly balance souls by directing
their passions towards nobler objects.

" A stone will be laid by hands that will be joined
together in friendship. May the movement of which this
is the foundation throw towards the sea spread before us,
like the infinite, and towards the sky, suspended above
us like hope without limits stretching to the generations
the future awaits, a ray of that serenity which emperors,
kings, princes and chiefs of states must all find in their
own consciences, so as similarly to influence the men
whose destinies they have to guide."

Thus, while paying the greatest homage to the German
Emperor, the prince seeks to tar him with the I'acifist
brush. Then he turns to compliment France of the Great

1

162 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Revolution by alluding to the universal influence of
French genius, and finally recalls the fact that he joined
the French navy during the Franco-German War; and all
this is done in so delicate and poetical a manner that
everybody is happy and satisfied. Indeed, so successful
was the prince, that both emperor and president, not
contented with having deputed special ambassadors, also
sent personal telegrams.

Such was the nature of the encouragement the prince
received when the foundation stone of the museum was
laid with befitting ceremony. Probably when all the other
leading nations have fallen into line in recognising the
service this institution will render to humanity, the
British Government may also wake up to the conscious-
ness that something ought to be done. This is the more
necessary as the museum is not a fancy structure erected
to satisfy the special taste of a wealthy prince. It is not
even a museum provided as a resort for the inhabitants
of the principality. It is part of a permanent and well-
endowed international institution, placed at the disposal
of men of science of all nations, and managed by an
international committee. Further, as Monaco is at some
distance from the great universities and centres of study,
a corresponding Institute of Oceanography has been
founded in Paris. The museum at Monaco becomes a
demonstrating centre, an all-important annexe or branch
of the institute established at the Paris University. What
concerns the museum is therefore of more than mere local
interest.

Certainly at first, as far back as 1885, the prince did
think of building at Monaco a museum in which he
could place the specimens he brought back from his
scientific explorations. But it soon became apparent that
this would be altogether too exclusive. Such a museum
must contain in a general manner all that relates to the
science it is meant to illustrate. As the building progressed,
in 1903, the prince arranged for the delivery of lectures in
Paris, notably at the Conservatoire National des Arts et

THE FIRST STEPS 163

Metiers. These lectures proved so successful that they were
transferred to the Sorbonne, and finally in 1906 the
prince determined to found an Oceanographic Institute.
Mr H. Villiers Barnett, the editor of Tlic Continental
Weekly, than whom no one is better informed concerning
the pleasure and health resorts of the Riviera, obtained
a copy of the letter in which the prince explains to the
French Government his position and his intentions with
regard to this proposed institute. The letter is addressed
to the French Minister of Public Instruction, and Mr
Barnett translated it into English for his paper :

" Monsieur i.e Ministue, — Having devoted my life
to the study of the Oceanographic Sciences I have been
struck by the importance of their action on several
branches of human activity, and I have striven to obtain
for them that place which they should occupy in the
solicitude of governments not less than in the preoccupa-
tions of the learned.

" Several States have already organised scientific cruises
in all the seas of the globe and have established a solid
basis for the development of Oceanography ; but France,
notwithstanding that the science of the sea presents for
her a special interest, has not treated it with the same
liberality as she has treated other branches of Science.
Nevertheless, for some years past I have caused to be
given in Paris a series of lectures which have been followed
by audiences each time more numerous and more attentive,
while the public powers, in the persons of President
I^oubet and members of the Government, have shown
a certain interest in them by their presence.

" I then wished to fill a gap by myself creating and
establishing in Paris a centre of Oceanographic Study
closely connected with the laboratories and collections
of the Oceanographic Museum at Monaco, where for the
last twenty years I have gathered the results of my
personal labours and those of eminent collaborators who
have come to me from all the countries of Europe.

164 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

" Informed by the friends of the University [of Paris]
that a scheme of enlargement, necessary to the prosperity
of that illustrious body, had met with difficulties and
delays in its realisation, I thought that the combination
of the two plans would be beneficial to both ; and I
offered to the Vice- Rector my collaboration therein.
Subsequently it became possible for me to take my part
in raising the capital necessary to acquire the land which
the Sorbonne needed, and in return, the University
granted me a site, on part of this new estate, on which
I wish to erect the Oceanographic Institute whose Statutes
I now communicate to you.

"It is a great pleasure to me thus to acknowledge
the hospitality which Paris and France accord to all
thought-workers ; I add that I do not limit the patrimony
of the new Institute to the building which will be erected
in Paris : the Oceanographic Museum at Monaco, with
its laboratories, collections, aquariums and dependences
are, from now on, the property of the Oceanographic
Institute, to which I have given a working capital of four
milUons [of francs].

" Desirous that this institution shall survive me under
the conditions which have appeared to me likely to assure "%■

the services which I expect from it for the progress of J

Science, I beg the French Government to recognise it as
of public utility and to approve its Statutes.

" Will you accept, JMonsieur le Ministre, the assurance
of my high consideration.

" (Signed) Albert, Prince of Monaco.

"April 25, 1906.
" Palais de Monaco."

The land acquired by the Paris University is
higher than the old Sorbonne and the Pantheon. It
is farther up the rue St Jacques, and here a large
clearance has been made. On the vacant space thus
created the first structure to be raised was the Oceano-

THE LEGAL POSITION 165

graphic Institute. But there has been a good deal of
misrepresentation with regard to the legal standing of
the institute and the museum. This, however, is clearly
explained in the official organ of the principality, the
Journal de Monaco ; and, like that which appears in the
London Gazette or the Paris Journal Officiel, may be
considered legally correct. The Jotirnal de 3Ionaco
recognises that the letter to the Minister of Public
Instruction, dated the 25th April 1 906, and quoted above,
may be taken as the basis of the whole question. To
ensure that the work to which the prince has consecrated
the greater part of his life shall continue indefinitely, he
has created an institute for the study of the geography,
geology, hydrology, biology, zoology, bacteriology, etc.,
of the sea. This institution must continue to collect
specimens, to organise classes and lectures, to direct and
provide financial means for scientific missions, and to
publish the results of its researches.

To realise such a programme it was necessary to find
a town frequented by students from all nations, who were
willing to follow special courses of study, and to whom
such teaching would be a novelty, not likely to clash
with any existing school. These conditions were found in
Paris, and there was further the appropriate circumstance
that the university was extending its buildings. This
provided an opportunity to secure land for the proposed
Oceanographic Institute close to the Faculty of Sciences.
The letter in question was written, therefore, in the
spring of 1906, but it did not, as sometimes supposed, offer
as a free gift to the French Government the institute
and the endowment of 4,000,000 francs. The letter
simply points out the advantage that students of the
University of Paris would derive from such an institute,
and asks the Government to approve its statutes and re-
cognise it as an institution of" public utility." Accordingly,
a decree to that effect was issued by the French Govern-
ment on the 16th May 1906. In virtue of this Act the
institute is governed, with regard to its administration

166 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

and finances, by a Council of Administration ; and from
the technical and scientific point of view by an Inter-
national Improvements Committee {Corn it e intei'natio7ial
de perfectioimement). It is an autonomous and indepen-
dent establishment, possessing a legal and civil existence.
The only provision made for the very unlikely event of
the disestablishment of this institute is that, supposing
the authorisation were withdrawn, and the councils and
committees dissolved, the endowment and the building
belonging to the institute would be handed over to the
University of Paris, but under the clearly stipulated
condition that the object held in view by the donors and
testators should be carried out. If this were not done the
donors and testators, or their heirs and assigns, would
have the right to claim their share of the property.

The Oceanographic Museum at Monaco, as has been
explained, is part of the patrimony of the institute. It is
the private property of the institute which, in virtue of
the Decree of the 16th May 1906, enjoys all civil rights,
and may therefore own property. The museum no more A

belongs to a foreign government than the institute itself. ■

Its management is bound to respect the will of its ^

founder, and to continue to conduct it for the purpose of T

the collection and study of all that relates to the ocean
and its contents.

The museum also remains an integral part of the
principality. By handing it over to the Oceanographic
Institute the museum is withdrawn from the private
domains of the prince ; but, like the rest of the princi-
pality, it remains under his rule and sovereignty. The
museum is in the same position as all other property
in the principality, whether such property be owned by
a native Monegasque or by a foreigner. Therefore, the
prince still exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction over
the museum. Any infraction of the law taking place in the
museum would be dealt with as if it had occurred in any
other part of the principality. Should it be necessarj^ at
any future time to impose taxes on house and landed

INTERNATIONAL PURPORT 167

property, the museum would be taxed as all similar
property. Being no longer a part of the prince's domain
or private property, it could only be exempted from
taxation by a special order, which could at any time be
rescinded. So also all objects brought to the museum are
liable to custom duties as if taken to any other part of
the principality. The State, of course, retains the right of
requisition and of occupation. Thus the museum is the
private property of a scientific institute which has its
headquarters at Paris, but this does not mean that it is a
French institution. Its headquarters might just as well be
in Rome or any other town. Like all other property
in the principality, the museum is subject to the laws of
the principality.

The Journal de Monaco explains that if Prince
Albert desired to give what he had created as international
a character as possible, it was necessary, first of all, to
place it above the fluctuations of politics, and to protect it
against individual enterprises. The study of the ocean is
so wide a subject that it soon oversteps the narrow
boundaries of any one nation. Further, the prince
realises that the conquests of science should form the
philosophical patrimony of all mankind. Therefore the
institute, the museum, and the studies and researches
they are to facilitate will not be French or Monegasque,
or the property of one particular nation ; on the contrary,
they will provide a means of uniting men from every
nation in the accomplishment of a work destined to benefit
all humanity.

CHAPTER XII

INAUGURATION OF THE OCEANOGKAPHIC MUSEUM AT
MONACO AND THE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE AT PARIS

E LEADEN years were required to build the museum,
and it will contain the results of researches spread
over a quarter of a century. Now at last the time
had arrived when its doors might be opened and the public
at large invited to see for themselves what oceanography
means. For this purpose a great ceremony and fete were
to be organised. The need was felt for a sort of apotheosis
as a well-merited expression of gratitude for what had
been done, and also as a demonstration that would attract
and instruct those who did not yet realise the importance
of the progress science had achieved. It was on 5londay,
the 28th of March 1910, that the museum was solemnly
inaugurated. Among the many distinguished persons
present on this joyful occasion was JVI. Emile Loubet,
former President of the French Republic, and now Vice-
President of the Administrative Council of the Oceano-
graphic Institute. The French, German, Italian, Spanish
and Portuguese governments sent official representatives.
From Great Britain came Professor J. Y. Buchanan,
delegate of the Royal Society, and Mr Scott Keltic of the
Royal Geographical Society ; but, taking into account
the benefits maritime countries derive from oceanography,
the British Government should assume a leading part on
such occasions. In any case it might be expected that
Great Britain would send as influential and important a
deputation as Germany, Italy or France. To what extent
it may be necessary to compete with Germany in the
building of Dreadnoughts is a matter on which opinions

168

I

ATAVISM AND EVOLUTION 169

are divided, but there can be no two opinions as to the
utility of oceanographic science. The German Govern-
ment is accused of pursuing a belHcose naval policy ;
yet Great Britain allows itself to be almost effaced when,
as on this occasion, it is a question of encouraging a
purely pacific and truly humanitarian undertaking. There
was no special envoy from the British Government
or from the British fleet, no one to stand by the
side of the Cabinet Ministers, the Admirals and the
Ambassadors sent by other countries. It is hardly neces-
sary to say that the schools, academies and institutes of
different countries were fully represented. The orchestra,
under M. Jehin, rendered with the perfection of execution
for which it is renowned, the Ouverture de Fete. This is
a symphony which Saint-Saons had composed expressly
for the occasion, and it was enthusiastically received. The
prince now rose and delivered a remarkable speech. He
pointed out that oceanographic science, though young,
had already its place in the world's intellectual domain.
To-day the science of the sea was entering the palace an
architect had built as the home of the two directing
forces in the civilisation of the world — Art and Science.
Men, ships, governments, all were helping. The German
Emperor had sent ships to study the Indian Ocean, and
had raised a meteorological and atmospheric observatory
on one of the highest points dominating the sea, the rock
of TenerifFe. The late King Carlos of Portugal consecrated
all his leisure time to oceanographic study till he was
struck down by a kind of return current which brings
back some of the savage characteristics we hoped to have
outgrown :

" But atavism, the force that prolongs through suc-
cessive states of being the influence of anterior genera-
tions, only yields very slowly to another force that is
eternal in the universe, the force of evolution, which
carries men towards a future Time veils from our sight.

" When we speak of science we must congratulate
Germany and the Scandinavian countries, where both the

170 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

nation and the state have felt that scientific culture is
the secret of civilisation, where so inany citizens constitute
centres of intellectual development, where culture presides
over the orientation of ideas."

Then, although great Britain was so poorly represented
at the ceremony, the prince proceeded to pay homage to
what Englishmen had done :

" On such an occasion all present will not fail to think
of those learned men whom we cannot forget, those
Englishmen who were the first to efface the general
ignorance concerning the inhabitable character of deep
water. We recall the early and glorious cruises of
Carpenter and Wyville Thompson, of John Murray and
Buchanan. We remember the services rendered by Milne
Edwards, a master in the science, and of ^Nlagnaghi,
whose work opened the way in Italy for the science of
the sea."

After enumerating the scientists of other nations who
had given much help to the cause, the prince expatiated
on the wonderful fact that oceanographic science showed
more and more clearly how the origin of life was to be
found in the sea. This had greatly intensified the interest
felt in such researches. Also it had now been demon-
strated that deep water, instead of being uninhabited,
contained a far more numerous population than could
possibly exist on land, where every creature had to live
on the same level. Then it was to the sea that everything
belonging to the land ultimately flowed, and might there
be converted into an organism. The sea was the cradle
of the first living cell. " Having reached this point," the
prince exclaimed, "we may be led to believe that as
beings living on the earth we are renegades who have
escaped from the ocean, thanks to the energy we have
distilled from the bosom of the waters, which supplies to
our flesh the forces of life and of reproduction.

" But are we more happy under the brilliant sunshine
than we were in the phosphorescences of the deep waters ?
Are we happier in the subtle and changing atmospheric

MOTHERHOOD OF THE SEA 171

centres than in the immovable spaces where centuries
preside over the transformation of living matter ? If joy
is to be measured by the intensity of the sensations which
are derived from the spectacle of the universe in its march,
assuredly we are favoured beings. But perhaps true happi-
ness resides in the quiet depths where vaguely defined
shadows pass silently through the glow of phosphorescent
lights."

The prince then described the object of the institute
and the museum, and expressed his confidence in the
honour of men of science to continue after him the work
he had began.

" I desire that this monument shall shelter without
favour the labour of scientists ; I hope it will never
become any one person's particular vanity."

In conclusion the prince thanked all those who h^d
helped him to create a new branch of modern science,
" which has so much power in altering the conditions of
life, the mentality of men, and the relations of peoples."
Nor did he forget the workmen who during eleven years
had placed stone upon stone till the final conclusion of
the building. Not only did the prince speak gratefully of
their services, but was careful to see that they were
included among the guests who were invited to partici-
pate in the inauguration ceremony. After the prince had
duly declared the museum to be open, M. Pichon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, was
the first to speak. The French Government had two
reasons for participating in the fete, its interest in the
science, and its gratitude to the prince for having
established the Oceanographic Institute in Paris.

" As Minister of Foreign Affairs of a government
whose constant concern it is to maintain peace among
nations, I hail in this work of education, of study, of
progress, an act of disinterestedness and of clairvoyance
which merits universal gratitude, because, while endeavour-
ing to increase our knowledge, it serves the cause of
humanity."

172 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

The Grand Admiral Von Koester, speaking in French,
said that H.M. the Emperor of Germany had since the
laying of the foundation stone followed with the greatest
interest the development of the museum, and now sent
his warmest congratulations. In conclusion the Grand
Admiral said :

" While thus carrying out the order of my Sovereign,
I beg Your Serene Highness to be so good as to believe
how proud and happy I am to have been selected for so
flattering and agreeable a mission.

" The Oceanographic Museum which your Serene
Highness has graciously placed under the high patronage
of my august Sovereign is unique in the universe. Being
the outcome of the noble initiative taken by Your Serene
Highness this magnificent monument will for ever be
a witness of the learned and laborious researches to which
your Serene Highness has so faithfully devoted your life,
and will lend precious assistance in the evolution of the
sciences and the progress of mankind."

Vice- Admiral Grenet for the Italian, and Count de
Souza Rosa for the Portuguese governments, spoke in
equally enthusiastic terms. After a few words on behalf
of Spain from Senator Odon de Buen, some verses
entitled " Nef Triomphale," written by INI. Jean Aicaro,
of the French Academy, and set to music by M.
Massenet, were rendered by the chorus and orchestra
of the Monte Carlo Opera. Now three short papers were
read by professors of the Oceanographic Institute. M.
Berget described the extent and the limits of oceano-
graphic science ; M. Portier dealt with the life found
in the ocean depths; and M. Joubin examined the
programme and purport of the institute.

The " Inaugural March," composed expressly for this
occasion by INI. Leon J chin, in which he very happily
introduced the Monegasque Hymn, was then played, and
the prince rose to coiftuct his guests through the museum.
At the end of this ceremony, M. Pichon, on behalf of the
French Government, presented the cross of the Legion

UNIVERSAL HOMAGE 173

of Honour to M. Delefortrie, the architect of the museum.
There now only remained an exchange of congratulatory
telegrams between the Emperor of Germany, the President
of the French Republic, the King of Italy, the King of
Spain, the King of Portugal, and the Prince of Monaco.

Though tiie museum was now open to the public and
the inauguration terminated, there were other fetes and
demonstrations to follow. In the evening there was a
gala performance at the opera. M. Raoul Gunsbourg had
composed for the occasion an Ode a la Pensce, which, when
the prince and the foreign missions had entered, was
read by Madame Bartet, of the Comedie j'run^ahe.

On the morrow, AVednesday, the Mediterranean
Commission held a sitting in the meeting-hall of the
museum, where lunch was served. Selections were given
by the orchestra and chorus of the Monte Carlo Opera ;
these included a cantata which had been composed speci-
ally for the occasion by M. Bellini, formerly chief of the
choir at the Monaco Cathedral, entitled " Ode to Oceanog-
raphy." There now followed the long series of speeches.
M. Emile Loubetwas the first to rise, not, however, as the
former President of the French Republic, but as Vice-
President of the Council of Administration of the Oceano-
graphic Institute. M. Loubet congratulated the prince
upon " the incredible tenacity with which, even at the peril
of his life, he had persevered during twenty-five years, till
he had succeeded in giving us samples of the life that
exists in all depths, even so far below the surface as
18,000 feet."

M. Emile Picard, of the French Academy of Sciences,
expressed gratitude on behalf of the University of I'aris,
of the Royal Society of London, the Accademia del Lincei
di Roi/ia, the Academies of Science of Berlin, Vienna,
Madrid and St Petersburg. The learned professor pointed
out that to be a proficient oceanographist it was necessary
to possess extensive knowledge of geometry, physics,
chemistry, biology and geology. It was not a ship, there-
fore, that was required, but a floating laboratory. For this

174 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

laboratory all manner of new instruments and appliances
were indispensable, and had to be invented as the need
arose. Thus and thus only could marine biology be
developed to the extent of peopling the new museum
with so many interesting and beautiful specimens of life
below the waves.

M. Roujon, secretary of the Academy of Fine Arts,
read the speech of M. Massenet, the operatic composer,
recalling the services the prince has rendered to the
cause of the fine arts, and congratulating him upon his
achievements in the domain of the precise sciences. Then
followed M. Perrier, in the name of the Paris Museum of
Natural History, Professor Peuck for the Oceanographic
Institute of Berlin, M. Deslandres for the Bureau of
Longitudes of France, and M. Gabriel Bertrand of the
Pasteur Institute. The latter explained what practical
service the study of the living organisms of the sea
rendered to the science of bacteriology. Mr Scott Keltic,
delegate of the Royal Geographical Society, London,
spoke in English of the great and stimulating effects the
prince's investigations had produced among students of
geography in all parts of the world. M. Girard, in the
name of the Portuguese Maritime League, recalled how
deeply the late King Charles of Portugal was devoted
to oceanography. There remained more speeches, but
it was now so late that they were taken as read and
subsequently printed. One was from Professor Gerhard
Schott, in the name of the German Maritime Observatory
of Hamburg ; another from M. VioUe, of the Institute
of France, written in the name of the Conserimtoire des-
Ai-fs et Metiers, and another from M. E. Levasseur,
Administrator of the College de France. In spite of the
guillotine process applied to the last three speeches
the epoch-making breakfast was prolonged till three in
the afternoon.

The festivities and celebrations were not, however,
terminated. In the evening there was a magnificent
nautical fete organised by M. Raoul Gunsbourg, Director

THE INAUGURAL FETE 175

of the Monte Carlo Opera. Needless to say, an enormous
crowd lined the shore. Never in the history of the princi-
pality have so many visitors been received. When the opera
orcliestra had played M. Leon Jehin's " Inaugural March,"
an antique galley was seen approaching. It was bearing
Hercules in his course round the world. The god pauses
in his journey, overwhelmed by the splendour of the sight,
and sings a hymn bestowing his own light, his eternal
spring, on this beautiful spot. Now Hercules comes still
nearer and takes possession of the rock, which he names
INIonaco. Thereupon two other galleys appear, the one
bearing tlie Sciences, the other the Arts ; they approach,
chanting praises of culture and learning. Hercules replies
by a stirring song glorifying the sea and its mysteries,
which man with the aid of science will one day master
and penetrate. Then, followed by the galleys, Hercules
advances farther into the port so as definitely to install
the Arts and Sciences at Monaco. But there are opponents,
the primitive inhabitants, half animals, half men, rebels
against civilisation. They forthwith attack the galleys. A
battle follows, ending in tlie destruction of obscurantism,
and the triumph of enlightenment. The powerful baritone,
M. Titta-Kuffo, sang the part of Hercules, and his voice
was heard even over the broad expanse of the waters.
After the pageant there followed illuminations, more
singing, and a magnificent display of fireworks. Thus,
with fitting brilliancy and manifestations of joyful
appreciation, the monumental Museum of Oceanography
was successfully inaugurated. It has been seen that some
of the principal governments, universities and academies
of Europe sent special representatives and spared no
pains to show that they understood the importance of the
work done.

There now only remained to open the permanent home
of the institute itself This was completed nine months
later, and inaugurated on the 23rd of January 1911, at
nine o'clock in the evening. The President of the French
Republic, M. Fallieres, sought by his presence to give the

176 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

highest sanction and mark of approval it was possible for
the French nation to render. The Oceanographic Institute
had been built by a French architect, M. Nenot, Membre
de tinstitut, on ground secured by the university in the
higher portion of the rue St Jacques. Lower down in the
same street is the church of the Sorbonne, the new
Sorbonne buildings on one side, and the College de France
just opposite. It is indeed classic ground. The Sorbonne,
as everyone knows, is one of the most renowned seats of
learning in the world. It was founded by Robert de
Sorbon, confessor of St Louis, in the thirteenth century,
the object being to assist poor students to study theology.
The church, the library and the main building were,
however, erected by Richelieu, and it was merged into
the university by Napoleon I. Thus to-day, in rough
parlance, the word Sorbonne is accepted as meaning the
Paris University, though some portions of the university,
notably the schools of jurisprudence and of medicine, are
in other than the Sorbonne buildings. The Oceanographic
Institute, while so close a neighbour, is absolutely in-
dependent of the University of Paris. The building itself
is Florentine in style, with a square tower which recalls
the palace of the Grimaldis at Monaco. M. Falli^res
did not fail to praise the architect, M. Nenot, and M. Louis
Tinayre, who is responsible for the mural paintings. These
represent some of the operations carried on in mid-ocean
for the collection of specimens from the lower depths.

At the inauguration the celebrated band of the Re-
publican Guard was present to play the " Marseillaise " and
the Monegasque Hymn. The President of the Republic
was accompanied by M. Pichon, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, M. Jean Dupuy, Minister of Commerce, General
Florentin, Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour,
M. A. Dubost, President of the Senate, M. de Schoen,
German Ambassador, M. Tittoni, Italian Ambassador,
and Madame Tittoni.

The prince and the president led the procession, and
the guard of honour presented arms as they entered the

f?'

^

I

I

OPENING OF THE INSTITUTE 177

building. They were followed by the Hereditary Prince
of Monaco, who gave his arm to H.R.H. Princess Mary
of Greece. Then came H.R.H. Prince George of Greece,
M. Maurice Faure, Minister of Public Instruction,
officially representing the French Government, the Council
of Administration of the Oceanographic Institute, and
many notabilities. Altogether some six hundred persons
were present, and when they had assembled in the largest
lecture-room of the institute the prince delivered the
inaugural address. He thanked the President of the
Republic, the representatives of the State, the Parliament,
the Town, the Army and the Navy for uniting to confer
the lustre of their presence on the inauguration of a new
school now opened in the capital of France. After refer-
ring by name to several of those present, the prince
said :

" Finally I find among you three men whose names I
pronounce with feelings of deep affection and admiration.
There is Sir John Murray, who will ever remain one of
the loftiest figures of oceanography, since he played so
important a part in the British expedition of the C/ia/Zenger,
the first that was consecrated to the science of the sea.
Then there is Nenot, the author of this monument, the
•architect whose masterpieces will always testify to the
persistent progress of the Paris schools. Finally, there is
Charcot, the audacious explorer who has just returned
from the Antarctic regions, where, to the honour of the
French flag, he conducted a crew of sailors and of
oceanographers. "

The prince went on to describe the purely scientific
and international mission of the institute. ISI. Maurice
Faure, Minister of Public Instruction, spoke and pro-
claimed that it was the duty of the Government to
encourage so excellent a work. After alluding to the
prince's desire to maintain the international character of
the institute, the minister added :

" But you also thought that the most certain means
of increasing its vitality, of facilitating its action, would

178 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

be to place the institute under the protection of French
laws and in the neighbourhood of that illustrious Uni-
versity of Paris whose doors are so widely open to new
ideas ; to place it in that noble capital which you love
and which loves you. You were anxious to raise this
palace in the centre of the old Latin quarter, the glorious
cradle of so many discoveries, and you convoke the
studious youths of all nations to come and listen to the
renowned masters whose lessons will popularise the science
of oceanography which you so justly and passionately
love. In the name of France and of the University I
congratulate you and I thank you."

M. Armand Gautier, President of the Academy of
Science, delivered himself of a lengthy dissertation on
the earlier efforts and gradual development of oceano-
graphic science for the purpose of proving that the
Academy of Science was bound to support the Oceano-
graphic Institute. After this M. Liard, the Dean of the
Paris University, spoke, and concluded by an allusion to
the financial services the prince had rendered :

" The University of Paris is also aware that you are
a neighbour from whom only good services are to be
expected. Already you have given proofs of your liberality.
The University cannot forget that at the moment when
it was negotiating for the purchase of the vast expanse
of land where the Institute of Chemistry, the Institute
of Radium, and later, parallel with your Ocean ographic
Institute, the Institute of Geography, will be built, your
intervention was decisive ; and that without a donation
from you this fine combination would have been wrecked
within sight of port. Therefore the University is glad to
hail in you a benefactor."

Finally M. Perrier, Director of the Museum of Natural
History, made a learned speech on the unifying influence
of the sea. He spoke of the life that sprung from the sea
and the light that descended into its depth. But the fish
went down deeper than the light could penetrate, and
then they generated a light of their own and thus im-

THE GRATITUDE OF PARIS 179

ported a little sunshine into those dark regions. Unlimited
by space or time, the science of oceanography needs the
aid of the learned of all nations, of all languages, of all
races :

" The profound sentiment of universal solidarity which
such a work engenders is the best guarantee that the
wishes Your Highness have so often and eloquently
expressed will be realised. The rainbow symbol of uni-
versal peace whose first faint colours move with uncertain
light across the sky has already served to blunt many
bayonets, and will one day shine resplendent over the
world."

When these speeches were concluded the band played
INIeyerbeer's third " March aux Flambeaux." Then the
prince's aide-de-camp, Naval-I^ieutenant Bouree, showed
on a screen some of the marvellous colour-photographs
he had been able to take of the rare animals captured
during the most recent expeditions. After these interest-
ing exhibits, there was a cinematograph reproduction of
the ceremony at the inauguration of the Monaco Oceano-
graphic Museum. This concluded the evening's programme.
The band played the " Inaugural March " specially com-
posed by M. Leon Jehin, the guests visited the various
classrooms and laboratories, not forgetting the buffet,
where champagne and light refreshments were served, and
then the distinguished assembly dispersed. Thus by three
great ceremonies, in which many nations and their govern-
ments participated, have the Institute and the Museum of
Oceanography been officially brought into existence. First,
the foundation stone of the museum at Monaco was laid
on the 2.5th of April 1899. Then, eleven years later, on
the 28th of March 1910, the museum was solemnly in-
augurated amid public rejoicings throughout the princi-
pality. Finally, on the 23rd of February 1911, the
Oceanographic Institute, built in Paris close to the
Sorbonne, was opened by the prince and M. Fallieres.
Now the work is completed. A permanent school is
established and endowed. It only remains for scholars

180 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

and students to make good use of the opportunities offered
by the Oceanographic Institute, and it cannot be said that
they have failed to appreciate these advantages.

It must be borne in mind that the institute cannot
give a degree. There is no degree in oceanography
as in medicine, in law, and other branches of learning.
Therefore only a small number of students were expected.
An attendance of thirty to forty would have been
considered satisfactory. To the great surprise of all
concerned, there were before the close of the first year
from seventy to eighty pupils. As these students cannot
hope to obtain any grade or title to put to their names,
they come to acquire knowledge and knowledge alone ;
there is absolutely no other inducement.

The pupils have a choice of these professors. On the
ground floor there is a classroom, and the laboratories are
upstairs. Here each professor has a separate apartment.
First, there is a large laboratory for his pupils, where all
the apparatus and materials necessary are provided,
together with a carefully diffused electric light. No money
has been spared, and everything is done to encourage and
facilitate study. Then beyond the laboratory there is the
professor's private study, and on the other side his private
laboratory. There are three such series of laboratories. In
the first, and assisted by M. Germain, Professor M. Joubin
teaches Oceanographic Biology. In the second Professor
M. Berget, assisted by M. Klein, deals with the Physics of
Oceanography, and in the third the Physiology of Marine
Animals is taught by Professor M. Portier, assisted by
M. O. Cassas. The latter gentleman is also the Secretary of
the Institute and, if the visitor has the good fortune to
meet him, he may hope to be shown many things of great
interest. Though there is no museum here, in the broad
passage upstairs there are unpretending cupboards that
contain specimens to show pupils, and which ordinary
visitors would be glad to see ; notably some wonderful
sponges and a few cephalopodes, the octopus type of
animal.

APPRECIATIVE PARISIANS 181

In the basement there are tanks for small aquariums,
not for show but experimentation. Already one very
interesting demonstration has been made. It is known
that fish have the power of changing their colour to match
that of their surroundings and thus render themselves less
visible and less likely to be captured. An ordinary eel,
almost black in colour, was placed in a light grey tank.
In less than a year the eel had become identically the
same colour as the cement with which the tank is made.
It was the first time I had seen a grey, almost white, eel.
There is also provision here for sea- water, but as yet little
or nothing has been done with live fish. Then we have a
mechanical engineering workshop. This is very important,
for many things required for oceanographic researches,
expeditions, experiments and demonstrations do not exist
as marketable articles. Those who want them must make
them. Here all the machinery, the saws, etc., are worked
by electricity. At the time of my visit the engineers were
making a special kind of tubs for the collection of plankton,
that fine dust which, floating on the ocean, is supposed to
be the first manifestation of life. Finally there are big
boilers to provide heat and hot water for all parts of the
building.

Of course there is a library, offices and committee
rooms, but the most encouraging feature of all is the
Public I^ecture Hall. This fine structure will hold 800
people, and there is an endowment of £240 a year so that
popular lectures may be given on Saturday evenings. In
response to a written application, an admittance card for
the whole season is sent gratuitously. The applications are
so numerous that the hall is not large enough to hold the
audience. The practice is to open the door as soon as some
ten persons have gathered outside. So eager is the general
public to hear these lectures that they commence to arrive
two hours before the lecture, and it is often necessary to
close the door an hour before time, as the hall is already
full. As far as possible, technicalities are avoided, the
object being to interest the general public in oceanographic

182 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

science, and the intelligent population of Paris has
enthusiastically responded to this invitation. On hearing
of this success, it was impossible not to feel the contrast
between the idle rich, who waste their time at Monte
Carlo, and the industrious Parisian population. How many
people go to jMonte Carlo without learning anything
whatever about oceanography, or, for the matter of that,
about anything else of real use.

Tlie working expenses of the institute in Paris amount
to £2480 a year, all paid for by the prince. The pupils are
not charged any fees. They need only make a written
application to the professor under whom they wish to
study ; and, if the professor has no personal objection to
the pupil, he is admitted to follow the lessons and lectures
given. The institute also publishes annually four to six
issues of reports of its proceedings, which are well illus-
trated, and distributed to public libraries in different
countries. Thus is the work of instruction carried forward
to the advantage of the community and at the cost of the
Prince of Monaco.

CHAPTER XIII

THE OCEANOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

OX one occasion when I was speaking to a high
functionary at the casino he chanced to come
upon a photograph of the Oceanographic Museum.
During a pause in the conversation he took the photograph
in his Iiand and said :

" Here is a monument that will last. When the casino
has disappeared and is forgotten this museum will still
stand forth as a beacon of light, attracting the learned
from all parts of the world, and receiving the grateful
homage of mankind."

Coming from one of the principal administrators of
the casino, during the height of the season, when JMonte
Carlo was thronged with visitors and robed in all its
glory, these words impressed me deeply. That anyone
thinking over the matter would in all probability make
the same prognostication did not lessen its effect, for I
was impressed not so much by what was said, but by the
fact that the superiority of the museum over the casino
was acknowledged at the casino itself. Of course it is
quite possible that Monte Carlo will go the way of Baden-
IJaden, Wiesbaden or Homburg, and who to-day re-
members these places ? Only a few old men and women ;
to the modern generation they are known merely as health
resorts, the mineral waters of which benefit certain diseases.
The four walls of the casinos of these towns still exist ;
they have not been pulled down, but their glory has
departed ; who ever hears anything about the casino of
Homburg nowadays? But the Oceanographic Museum
is a magnificent and substantial building, so constructed

183

184 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

as to be the permanent home of a new science. So new
is the science that even to-day there are many who do not
understand what it is, and it will be some years before
anything like adequate acknowledgment is made of the
service rendered. Fortunately the museum constitutes an
object-lesson. A man's brain must be singularly devoid of
imagination if he fails to grasp, be it but in a very incom-
plete manner, the wide-reaching importance of the new
science.

Nevertheless it must be confessed that the museum
has not yet acquired the popularity it deserves. There
does not seem to be anyone whose business it is to make
it popular. People cannot be expected to understand
unless some sort of explanation is given. A teclmical
guide-book only increases the weariness of the visitor,
as he fails to understand the meaning of the most im-
portant words. During the season, at least, there should
be present at fixed hours, if not a professor, then a student
of oceanography, so as to conduct parties round and
awaken their interest. As one instance out of many,
preserved in alcohol there is a dingy-looking fish called
the Halosauropsis Man'ochir. Not one person in a thousand
among the general and ignorant public would stop to
examine this specimen unless someone were present
to explain that it was a luminous fish. Down its side
there is a black band which, it appears, is luminous, and
shines like the port-holes of a ship at night. Altogether
this fish possesses sixty-four luminous scales, and can light
these up at will, in whole or in part. Thus as it passes along
it throws a light on objects to its left or to its right. What
a problem these luminous fish open out. A few years ago
people marvelled because they found animals of beautiful
colours, possessing powerful eyes and yet living where
we imagined there was absolutely no light. The deep-sea
nets were expected to catch blind fish, whereas they
brought up fish with larger and more powerful eyes than
any seen before. Apparently they could perceive things
where to us all is darkness. Many shone brightly, and

O

LUMINOUS FISH 185

drops of luminous water fell from them. It is where the
gorgons and irises flourish that a great crowd of luminous
beings circulates.

The GorgotiocephaUus Agassizi in its ramifications
is one of the most extraordinary creatures preserved in
the museum. It is reduced to about one-third its natural
size in the accompanying photographic reproduction.
Originally it was of a brick-red and orange colour that
the alcohol has not preserved. Another specimen remark-
able for its vivid red colour is the NeoUtltodes Grimaldi,
so named because it was discovered by the Prince of
Monaco. This animal should be able to defend itself, to
judge from the number of spikes with which it is armed.
It is some consolation to know that this NeoUthodes was
caught far away on the coasts of Newfoundland and at
a depth of 4100 feet, for it is not the sort of creature
persons fond of bathing would care to tread upon. Its
claws are three times the length of its body. The photo-
graphic reproduction given of this crab-like creature
is a little smaller than its natural size. Some controversy
arose as to the species with which it should be classified.
Ultimately it was decided that it belonged to a separate
species, and was thereupon named after the Grimaldifamily.

It would be a great error to imagine that the museum
is a natural history museum such as exists in almost all
the large towns of the world because it contains some
specimens of animals. In this respect I was told an
amusing story of an American who, having gone round
in the blind manner in which most visitors stroll through
this building, said he did not think much of it. The
museum at Washington was much finer ! Needless to say,
there is no museum of oceanography at Washington, nor
in Paris, nor in London or anywhere else. The only town
where a small attempt has been made to establish such
a museum is Berlin. The Oceanographic Museum of
Monaco is unique ; nowhere else in the world does such
a museum exist, and it is about time that this fact should
be better known and appreciated.

186 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

The majestic proportions of the home built for this
science are in themselves imposing, though, short of tres-
passing upon the beautiful gardens of St JNIartin, it was
not easy to find, on the historic rock of Monaco, a site
extensive enough for the museum. Finally it was decided
to sacrifice for this great work of peace the old powder
magazines which stood at the eastern extremity of these
gardens. Here the ground sloping seawards a little distance
ceases abruptly where the rock stands perpendicularly over
the waters. There was no even ground for the foundations.
Piles had to be employed to carry the museum across
the declivity so that its outer or farther wall should
rest on the lower part of the rock before it rises vertically
from the sea. These difficulties are best appreciated when
the building is viewed from the sea. The great arches of
solid masonry with the wild irregular rocks showing
under them afford a wonderful contrast between the
geometrical symmetry of the architectvu'e and the glorious
freedom from discipline that characterises nature's rude
work. By building over the sloping ground, land which
had been useless was now employed. The entrance to the
museum is on a level with the summit or normal plan
of the rock, and faces the old town. The width of the
museum covers the space reaching to the extreme end
of the declivity over which the piles are built. Between
these piles, and below the main building of the museum,
descending therefore nearer to the sea, room has been
found for two basement floors. They have good windows
overlooking the sea on one side but on the other side
there is only the hard rock. The lower basement, being
nearest to the supply of sea water, is well suited for the
aquarium. There is also ample space for numerous labora-
tories where scientists work, and cool rooms built close to
the rock which serve to stow away the hundreds of
specimens that have not yet been studied and classified.

The calcareous stone from the neighbouring heights
of La Turbie has been employed for the building. It is
exceptionally hard and durable, very similar indeed to

TllK (JOHGONOCEI'IIAI.US AOASSIZl AT TllK OCEANOORAPHIC Ml'.'

A MASSIVE BUILDING 187

the stone used for lithography. Some of the larger blocks
selected for ornamental purposes, such as the columns of
the frontage, come from Brescia, they also are very hard
and durable. Indeed the first impression produced is that
of something massive, substantial, evidently intended to
last for ages. The central part of the museum is square,
65 feet 6 inches by 65 feet 6 inches ; on each side there
are wings identical in size, and measuring 131 feet in
length, and 49 feet in width. The total length of the
building is 100 metres, or 328 feet. Still more emphatic,
as indicating that the museum is meant to resist in-
definitely the assaults of time, is the fact that the principal
walls are from 8^ to 9f feet thick. This circumstance is
worth noting, for it characterises the whole enterprise.
It is not an undertaking that is going to live and die
with the Prince of Monaco, as if it were only a personal
hobby. This museum is a temple raised to a wondrous
science, on the spot specially favoured by the great sun
and sea god, Herakles, Melkarth or Hercules. The rock
that shelters the port of Hercules now serves as the
foundation for the new temple. Where the god personify-
ing the Phoenicians who travelled on the sea used to
be worshipped, to-day a new divinity who will conduct
man above and below the sea is adored in the manner of
modern science.

The principal entrance is from the Avenue Saint-
Martin. There is a wide space in front. This, while serving
the practical purpose of giving carriages room to turn and
to wait, enables the visitor to stand away far enough to
obtain a good view of the building, and to observe the
harmony of its architectural proportions. The chief
decorative features are tiie monolithic columns, and like
the rest of the structure they suggest strength and
durability. It would seem as if the spirit of Hercules
still inspired the dwellers on the rock that bore his temple
for several centuries. If the walls are thick and strong, the
columns that ornament them consist of huge stones,
26 feet high, and weighing 16 tons each. They form the

188 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

frontage of the first floor, not the ground floor, which is
less lofty. The first floor is 36 feet high ; its interior is
surrounded by a gallery.

The sculpture of the facade is as original as it is
appropriate. The usual conventional designs are absent,
their place being taken by decorations akin to the object
of the museum. Instead of flowers, arabesques or other
commonplace ornamentation, we find sculptures of
animals discovered in the deep waters such as the gcryon,
the fish named after the monster with three bodies which
Hercules killed, the polyvlicles, captured at a depth of
6000 feet, and many other strange creatures. The frontage,
bears the arms of Monaco, and this is more conventional,
but then they are surmounted by a gigantic albatross
and a sea eagle. Other portions of the frontage are the
work of JM. Dussart, the sculptor, who, in a series of
allegorical groups endeavours to represent Truth unveiling
to Science the Forces of Nature, and Progress advancing
to the assistance of Humanity. Above these sculptures
are the names of the ships which have most contributed
to the new science, such as the TaUsvian, the Challenger,
the Valdi'oia, the Hirundelle and the Pi'incesse Alice.

The broad and raised foot space before the main
entrance numbers thirteen steps. The visitor then reaches
the beautiful wrought-iron door designed by M. Delefortrie
and penetrates into the vestibule. Here are the turnstiles
where a franc is generally charged for entrance, and here
also useful purchases may be made of books about the
museum, and the autobiography of a portion of the
prince's life entitled " La Carriere dun Navigateur." This
most captivating story has been admirably translated into
English by Mr H. Villiers Barnett, and should be read
by all who are interested in the sea, in travels, in ad-
ventures, in Monaco, and in its prince. Photographs and
post cards are also on sale. Some of the latter are decorated
with seaweeds pasted on the card and touched up with
paint to render the picture complete. But unfortunately
the name of the seaweed is not given. A few words of

MARITIME DECORATIONS 189

simple explanation would render the cards much more
interesting and valuable. Inside the building, as outside,
all the ornamentation recalls the purpose of the museum.
It is ships, fish, ropes, pulleys. Even the knobs of the
balustrade that protects the monumental stairs are in the
form of sea-shells. The great lustre in the central hall or
reception saloon represents a Medusa. This is a noble hall
measuring 23 feet in height, and forming a perfect square
of 59 feet on each side. The smaller lustres in the four
corners have been supposed to imitate sea-urchins, but
in reality they are intended to represent microscopic
marine organisms belonging to the radiate group. Both
were designed by M. Constant Roux, who won the Grand
Prix dc Rome, and both depict gelatinous, transparent
fish capable of emitting light. They may suggest an
abundance of romantic symbolism, for was not the Medusa
one of the three Gorgon sisters who turned to stone all
on whom they fixed their eyes ? Loved by Neptune, slain
by Perseus, the head of Medusa, when affixed to Minerva's
shield, still preserved its hypnotic powers, just as water
petrifies that over which it flows. To-day the strange
maritime creature of whom the sea god was enamoured
serves as the design of the central lustre at the Oceano-
graphic Museum.

Pushing through the first glass doors, the visitor is
confronted with a white marble statue of H.S.H. Prince
Albert I. of Monaco, which was offered to the prince by
his admirers, who commissioned for the work the well-
known member of the Iiistitut, Monsieur D. Puech. It
now constitutes one of the most popular portraits of
the prince extant. On the wall immediately behind the
statue are two tablets. One gives the names of the
Monegasques who subscribed for this gift to their
prince. The other bears the names of the foreigners
who were also anxious, by contributing, to show that
they shared in the admiration felt for the prince and his
scientific achievements. First on this list comes H.I.M.
William II., Emperor of Germany, followed by the

190 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

names of their INIajesties Carlos I. of Portugal, Alfonso
XII. of Spain, William II. of Wiirtemberg, H.R.H.
the Duke of Oporto, H.I.H. Prince William of Hohen-
zollern, H.S.H. Prince Charles of Wiirtemberg, H.S.H.
Prince de Radolin, the Royal Geographical Society of
Great Britain, a very long list of senators, deputies,
medical men, artists (notably M. Henri Neuville),
scientists (notably Professor J. Y. Buchanan of Christ
College, Cambridge), and financiers (notably the Baron
Heni'i de Rothschild).

Beyond what has been described there is not much
to be seen in the central or reception hall. The western
wing of the museum is devoted to the conference hall
especially destined to accommodate Congresses, and for
the holding of meetings and the delivery of lectures. Here
there is some fine wood-work, and the ceiling is richly
decorated by M. Cavaillie-CoU. Some admirable paintings
by M. Hippolyte Lucas represent episodes in the Arctic
Seas illustrating the exciting adventures attendant upon
oceanographic research. At the far end of the conference
hall, above the platform, hangs a large canvas by
M. Monchablon. This presents the graceful white shape
of the Prhicesse Alice floating on a sea so serene, so
shining, so cerulean, that the spectator cannot repress
a longing to be on board.

It may be noticed that black as well as white blinds
are fitted to the windows, so that complete darkness can
be produced when lantern slides are to be shown. A
special system of electricity is installed, which, under
110 to 120 volts, gives from 90 to 100 amperes. Thus all
that is necessary for scientific demonstration is amply
provided and ready to hand. This illuminating force can
be conveyed to whatever part of the hall it may be
desirable to place the lantern. If it is night, after or before
the slides have been shown, six handsome bronze lustres
can be used for illumination.

It is, however, only on entering the eastern apartment
or hall of the ground floor that the visitor will obtain the

MONSTERS OF THE DEEP 191

first clear indications of what oceanography means. At
each side of the door there are revolving globes. These
show the world, one from the South Pole, the other from
the Equator, the latter dividing the seas into three
catagories. The oceanographer studies the relationship
between these seas. There are first the seas entirely
bordered by land, the Caspian, for instance ; secondly the
seas, like the Mediterranean, that are nearly surrounded
by earth ; thirdly, the free unrestrained oceans. But before
we observe such smaller exhibits, very large objects in
the centre will first attract the eye, particularly the giant
skeleton of the whale captured by the prince. These bones
measure no less than 70 feet in length, and therefore can
scarcely escape notice. Just outside there are grounds
where bones can be dried and bleached by the sun, for
this is no mere show museum, but a great workshop for
the naturalist, where every facility is afforded for research
and experiment. Close by are other smaller skeletons, and
well-mounted specimens of white sperm whales, sharks,
walruses, and the embrjos of some of these monsters.
Fearful-looking octopi may be seen in bottles of spirit,
and as their colour fades so quickly, pictures are hung
close by rendering faithfully the hues of the living animal.
In many instances the specimen is placed by the side of
a painting made when it was still alive. While adding
to the beauty and interest of the exhibits this is of the
greatest assistance to the student. There are also to be
seen life-sized models of Arctic Sea whales, dolphins,
round-headed whales, and other large mammals.

Cases along the walls hold smaller objects, from
sponge-like creatures which it is difficult to assign to
either the vegetable or the animal world, to star- and shell-
fish. Noticeable among the seaweed exhibits are some
with marvellous tints of green. Many of the minor
specimens belong to the sea-urchin kind. Then we reach
various species of crabs, smaller jelly-fish and octopi.
Here the coloured drawings show how much the beautiful
tints have faded during the process of preservation. It

192 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

is impossible to over-estimate the value of these coloured
illustrations, or to cease admiring their beauty. At the
farther end of the room we come upon some larger fish
preserved in alcohol, such as cod-fish, playing-fish, and
a strange fish called the petromyzon inarinus caught in
the port of Monaco. Its anatomy or principal organs are
exposed and labelled. It is a long, slender fish, the mouth
is round, without teeth, and seems intended only for
sucking. The genital gland is almost as large as the
intestine, and nearly the length of the whole body, which
is about two feet.

On the other side of the hall are exhibited the instru-
ments used in deep-sea research. Here we may see how
specimens of mud, sand, stones, etc., are collected at
great depths and brought to the surface. Here are nets
for capturing fish, contrivances for taking the temperature
of the water, or for securing samples of it at a certain
depth, and neither above nor below that depth. How
was this apparatus controlled and made to work many
thousand feet below the ship ? How could the nets be
opened or closed, the bottles for samples of water
manipulated so as to be shut when full at the right depth?
Men stood on the deck of the ship and accomplished all
this though they might be miles away, and had but a
thin steel cord to connect them with the apparatus they
were employing. The new, the ingenious contrivances for
accomplishing such work are shown at the museum, and
this throws a sidelight on the material difficulties and
obstacles that oceanographers must overcome.

To the scientist it suffices to have discovered and
demonstrated an unknown fact. The new fact may be
millions of years old, but it is called new if only just
discovered. It may appear devoid of any utility whatsoever.
This does not matter. In the course of time some other
equally useless fact will be discovered, and when these
two inutilities are brought together, something extremely
useful may result therefrom. The man in the street,
however, is likely to view things in a different light. He

OCEANOGRAPHIC MECHANICS 193

has a tendency to inquire what is the use of the things
shown. Oceanography is a new word, a rather cumbersome
word, and the question is often put as to whetlier what
it represents is really of value. Some answers to such
scepticism will be found in this museum. To begin with,
the ordinary mortal associates the sea with waves, not to
mention sea-sickness, and on entering the eastern hall
he will find a relievo of waves. These are designed to
scale, being stereophotogrammetrically measured by
Kohlochutter. This is a good long word, and worthy of
an Atlantic roller. But the great thing is to know what
is the real size of waves, for no one can tell by merely
looking at them. In a storm they are described as
mountains high, though they rarely exceed 35 feet even
in mid-Atlantic, and that is quite bad enough for most
travellers.

Having thus obtained some idea of the size of waves,
we next come upon Professor Regnard's experiments for
ascertaining how far down the light can penetrate into
the water of the sea, and for conveying an electric light
deep down into the water. Here we have the actual
bottles and tubs, some of them small beer tubs, and
various forms of floaters that were thrown overboard
to ascertain the course of the ocean currents. Each con-
tained a paper with the following request written in three
languages : — " Anyone finding this paper is requested
to remit it to the naval authority of his country in order
that it may be forwarded to the French Government."

Thus, for instance, in 1887, cruising the Gulf Stream
for a distance of some 600 miles, between the Azores and
Newfoundland, 931 floaters were dropped overboard. By
the year 1892 as many as 226 of these had been picked up
and reported to the authorities. The prince was therefore
able to throw some new light on the course followed by the
Gulf Stream. There is also a great variety of revolving
machines with clock-work that look like anemometers,
but their object is to measure the velocity of water
currents and not that of the wind.

194 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Having thus examined the movements of the water
we must consider the quahty of the water, and it will
be seen that sea- water generally contains 35 per 1000,
or 35 grammes of salts in a kilogramme of water ; about
three quarters of these salts are common salt. Where
many rivers fall into the sea the water is not quite so salt,
but where there is much evaporation it is more salt. Thus
the Baltic is poorest in salt, the proportion being only 10
grammes per 1000, and the Red Sea the richest. If the
sea were of equal depth throughout the world we should
have a mass of water 3680 metres, or 4000 yards high, and
if this were evaporated it would yield a bed of salts 72'4
metres thick. In order of solubihty salts of lime would
be at the bottom ; the amount, proportion, and position of
the other salts are given. To faciUtate the realisation of what
the depth of the sea means there are great squares of blue
glass. The surface represents a square geographical mile
or a sixth of a degree of latitude — that is, 2025 yards.
The depth is measured in a similar proportion, but to
make this even more easy to understand there are little
models of the 32,000 ton Cunarders, the Maiiretaiiiu,
and Lusitania, sailing on the surface of the water. One
column represents water that has a deptli of 4500 metres,
4905 )7vrds, while the big Cunarders from the keel to the
highest deck are about 100 feet, or 30 metres. The next
column represents a sea that is 9636 metres, or 10,500
yards deep. The wooden socket on which one of these
graphic diagrams of water stands is cut in exactly the same
proportion so as to illustrate the greatest depth attained
by any boring made in the solid earth. This is at Cynchow,
in Upper Silesia, where they penetrated 2240 metres (2440
yards) into the earth. Oceanographers bring up samples
from depths exceeding 6000 metres, so there is knowledge
of what is happening three times farther below the surface
of the sea than below the surface of the land.

Other models indicate tliat while the sea occupies the
largest surface area of the earth its depth may vary from
3000 to 6000 metres, but the height of the land only

DEEP WATER AND HIGH LAND 195

varies from 1000 to 2000 metres. Also there is very little
land at these high altitudes, and it is not of much use.
Half of the sea, on the contrary, is deeper than 4000
metres ; and there is a tempting pyramid cut to scale
to indicate how much silver this water contains. It
amounts to no less than 13,800,000,000 tons of pure
dissolved silver. On the other hand a very tiny pyramid
represents the 32.5,760 tons of silver obtained since the
discovery in lidS of America, and reckoned up to the
year 1905. The pyramid of Gizeh, the greatest in Egypt,
looks quite small by the side of the silver pyramid that
could be built if it were possible to extract all the silver
the sea contains. Indeed this pyramid of sea-born silver
would be just as large as the cone-shaped Mont Agel
that towers 3451 feet above the casino gardens. When
to this store of silver is added the pearls, the mother-of-
pearl, the coral, etc., obtained from the sea, it will be
readily recognised that a graphic study of the ocean may
not be devoid of practical utility.

Monumental stairs give access to the first floor and
to a splendid balcony. Here, as elsewhere, the mosaics, the
carving, stained-glass windows, and other forms of decora-
tiv^e work, all appropriately recall the sea and its many
forms of animal and vegetable life. The disposition is the
same as on the ground floor, a square central hall and
two oblong halls on each side. In the centi'al and square
hall there is a fully equipped whale-boat, with the small
cannon to throw the harpoon, and all the other weapons
necessary for hunting the huge cetacean inhabitants of
the ocean. IJetween the beautiful columns of Brescia
stone are models of the prince's yachts, the Princesse
^lice I. and the Priitvcsse Alice II. In the corners revolv-
ing frames hold seaweeds carefully labelled in three
languages. Others contain photographs that give views
of the life on board the prince's yachts. Here may be
recognised the numerous and distinguislied persons who
took part in the different expeditions. There are also
photographs of some of the captures made, and interest

196 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

is sure to be felt, especially in one very alarming monster,
for it was caught barely a stone's throw from the museum,
at the Pointe de la Vieille, and this not in the I'emote
past, but on the 14th of June 1909. It is a very fierce-
looking brute, armed with a triple row of teeth, and at
least as big as a man. Such a neighbour does not suggest
the advisability of bathing in the open sea. Scientists have
bestowed on this menacing creature the name of Ocvyr/i/jta
SpaUanzani. Perhaps such complicated nomenclature may
deceive some into the belief that the fish comes from a
distance, but that will not console those whom it may bite.
The great hall to the west, on the first floor, is at
present held in reserve for the increase of the collections.
For the moment it serves to sort and classify specimens,
and is thus a workshop to which the public is not ad-
mitted. The hall on the east is devoted to the physical
and chemical aspects of oceanography, to the larger
appliances used for sounding and fishing, and also to
certain industries of the sea. Immediately on entering,
and to the right, are sponges, coral and pearls. Then come
dried fish, such as stock-fish and molluscs. The gourmet
will be interested in a collection of caviare, ranging in
colour from the brown of the German lentil to dark and
pale greens. No indication, however, is given to shoAV how
flavour and colour correspond. After this we have furs.
There is also a curious collection of parasites that fatten
on fish, including the familiar cuttlefish which we give
to our pet birds so that they may sharpen their beaks.
Bouquets made of sea-plants, pottery, and fans decorated
with the flora of the ocean, conclusively prove that the
gardens of the sea can also contribute to beautify the
dwellings of man. From the centre of the ceiling hang
huge nets and all manner of strange devices to bring up
the treasures of the deep. Here are models of the laiger
nets or cages that can be opened when at a certain depth
and closed again before they are hauled up. But for these
it would be impossible to discover at what varying depths
the diflerent species live.

AUTOMATIC BREAKAGE 197

The two basements are for the most part devoted not
to show but to work. Here ai-e situated several laboratories,
including a well-fitted dark room for photography, a
library for works on oceanography, various studios and
workshops for investigation or the preparation of speci-
mens, together with the offices of the administrative staff.
These premises are all fitted with heating apparatus, and
supplied with gas, soft water and sea-water. Small aquaria
can be placed in the studios or workshops, and there
are movable operating tables for dissection and other
zoological, botanical, histological and biological researches.
Any accredited student will find here all that is required
for elaborate investigation. *■

On the lower of the two basements the public will
not fail to visit the most attractive and enthralling por-
tion of the museum. The east side of this basement is
devoted entirely to the aquarium. Here are glass tanks
that vary in length from 3 to 19 feet. They are 4
feet wide, and from 2^ to 6 feet deep. The sea is just
below, and a gas engine pumps up the sea-water that
constantly flows through these tanks. But at first there
was trouble. The outer side of the tanks is of plate
glass, otherwise the fish could not be seen, and this glass
cracked, broke and let the water out. If not promptly
rescued the fish would have died. Nothing struck the
glass, it seemed to break of its own accord ; and at first it
was difficult to accoimt for so mysterious a phenomenon.
The theory was started that there must have been
earthquakes, doubtless very distant earthquakes, for the
shocks were so slight that no one felt them, but still
sufficient to crack glass held tightly in hard, inflexible
iron frames. Then the more plausible suggestion was
made that though there must be vibration for the glass
to break this was not due to earthquakes. It was probably
caused by the sea waves dashing against the rocks below.
There might be small hollows where the air would be
imprisoned and compressed by the inrushing water, and,
on bursting forth again, produce minor explosions. There-

198 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

upon Mr Robert S. Ash who, as an Enghsh surgeon-
dentist, enjoys a reputation extending far beyond the
principaUty, made a proposal that was most valuable
because it was practical and simple. He urged that the
iron frames should be lined with some flexible rubber-like
material. This was done. The rigid glass and the rigid
iron being now separated by a yielding material, the
vibration, however caused, no longer splits the glass.

Thus without further anxiety we can watch the
mysterious life that has been lifted out of the mighty
deep so that we may admire and wonder. It is a strange,
an awe-inspiring sight. How little do we know of the
beauty and grandeur that is close at hand ! At the opera
on the other hill just opposite we see ladies dressed in
silks of the most delicate hue, wearing precious stones
that flash forth bright and coloured lights. Such splendours
could not, however, be compared with the glorious tints
of some of the fish, and the daintiness of some of the
sea-flowers that now live in the aquarium of the Oceanic
Museum. There are appalling monstrosities too, side by
side with the frail exquisite creatures, beasts of great
strength near elf-like beings to whom gentleness and
beauty seem a sufficient protection.

Labels and coloured drawings are provided to enable
the visitor to understand a little of what he sees. But it
is no great satisfaction to be told the I^atin name of a
fish. It would awaken interest and stimulate the visitor
to study some of the questions at issue if a few words
were given concerning the habits of the fish, its use and
origin. The tanks at the entrance of the aquarium con-
tain a great variety of star-fish that will surprise by their
difference in size and shape, their yellow to scarlet hues
recalling the fruit of the arbutus-tree which grows so
plentifully on the Riviera. Then follow extraordinary
crabs and lobsters, eels, flat-fish, stumpy, short fish, green
fish with transparent green fins of the same tint as the
green sword-bladed seaweed that abounds on the coast
of the Mediterranean. The labrus mixtus, the lip-fish

THE AQUARIUM 199

and blue-striped wrasse are most beautiful, if seen in
the right light. Nor do they endeavour to conceal them-
selves ; on the contrary they come up close, as if disposed
to stare out of countenance those who stare at them.
The sea-horse near at hand is of a more retiring dis-
position. The cruelty that mingles with the beauty of
this life is exemplified by the scorjnena scrq/'a, the red
scorpion fish. It lies watching with its bright transparent
red eyes that outshine the finest ruby. It does not seem
living, so quiet and motionless is its attitude, but it
strikes the approaching prey with lightning speed and
remorseless force. There are ferrets in the sea as on land,
equally cruel, graceful and agile ; and though we may
read of this in books we must go to Monaco to see them
in life and action. As I looked and wondered, an admiring
traveller standing near exclaimed that this was better
than the aquarium at Naples, though not so good as
that of Honolulu. At the farther end are great conger-
eels, and here is a particularly fascinating and remarkable
fish. He is podgy in shape, but when in the right light his
shining scales are of a dark, deep, mysterious blue. A
movement, however, a motion of the tail, makes the fish
reflect different rays, and then he appears to be brown,
till in turn this sombre tint changes to a silvery grey.
Indeed many of these fish, the Murwna Helena, for
instance, with brown body and green eyes, are constantly
changing colour as they swim about. To watch their
movements is like watching rockets that burst in the air.
The closest attention is necessary not to miss the brilliant
colours as they Hash out and disappear.

There is also a large but shallow tank with live turtle
in it, and some quite small glass tanks for the observation
and study of diminutive animals, as these would be lost
in a spacious and deep aquarium. From the scientific point
of view it is not the more conspicuous animals and the
big fish that are the most interesting, 'i'he tendency, of
course, has been to study the larger species, but there is
much of great interest in the customs and habits of com-

200 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

paratively unknown small types, such as the gouania,
the alpheides, etc., and they are likely to supply useful
indications to marine biologists. It must always be borne
in mind that though there is much to interest and
fascinate the visitor even if he is absolutely ignorant of
oceanography and all that appertains thereunto, still the
main object is to encourage research. Therefore, it must
not be imagined that all the collections made are shown
to the public. A certain portion of these things is used
for exhibits, but a considerable part of the specimens is
held back, put in the laboratories, and placed at the
disposal of specialists. Many specimens, especially when
there are duplicates, are preserved in view of effecting
exchanges with other museums.

For twenty-five years the life of an unseen world has
been brought to the surface, and to-day much of it is
there in the museum ready to awaken the interest of the
ignorant, and to supply the learned with the means of
acquiring greater knowledge. No one capable of appre-
ciating form and colour can fail to be enthralled by the
vivid yet harmonious tints of the fauna and flora of the
sea. In those who love and admire flowers, the sea-
anemones, the multi-sized, many-shaped and coloured star-
fishes, will excite equal or greater admiration. But the
beauty of the flower intended to attract the fertilising agent
is strictly utilitarian in its purpose. So also is this museum.
It will spread the love of science, and it is the prince's
conviction that all the forces of evil must succumb to
science. " Science, which includes all Mght and all truth,
is the force that draws men closer together." Science
means peace, human progress, and " the conquest of the
unknown is the only conquest worthy of the modern
mind."

In the sea lie hidden the keys to all the sciences, for
on the waters life began. The earliest micro-organisms are
gathered from the sea and studied at the museum of
5lonaco. These of course include the plankton, to which
perhaps we all owe our existence. This fine living dust

A LIGHTHOUSE OF SCIENCE 201

floats over the surface of the waters, penetrates into their
depths, and, by destroying impurities, renders the exist-
ence of higher organisms possible. The human body is
composed mainly of water, and this water is closely akin
to sea-water. Minute organisms preserve the purity of
sea-water, and the preservation of our health depends on
the triumph of the friendly over tlie hostile organisms
that are constantly attempting to invade our bodies. This
is a fact that should bring oceanographic science home to
everyone. Such is the scope and utility of the evidence,
the knowledge now accumulating in the new temple raised
to the enlightenment that science gives, the life it inspires
and preserves. On the ancient rock where Hercules, the
god of strength, light and vivifying heat, was worshipped,
now stands, with solid walls, the majestic and lofty
museum. It is a noble because it is a useful structure.
It will fire the ambition and create thirst for knowledge
in the minds of the ignorant. It will provide a haven for
the learned and studious. It is a place of wonder and
delight to all, and it stands forth overlooking the sea — a
lighthouse of science.

CHAPTER XIV

ANTHROPOLOGY : PRIMITIVE MAN IN THE PRINCIPALITY

NEXT in importance after oceanographic researches,
so far as the principality is concerned, is the great
impetus given to the study of anthropology and
human palagontology. These are not new sciences, like
oceanography, and are studied by a much larger number
of persons ; therefore there is no need to demonstrate
their importance ; and the fact that a historic group of
rocks and caverns known as the Balzi-Rossi or Baousse-
Roussc or l?oches Rouges — the red rocks of Men ton —
used to form part of the principality naturally accounts
for the fact that many years ago archaeologists came to
Monaco. Just above these rocks is the picturesque village
of Grimaldi. It was in the year 1351 that Charles
Grimaldi, Lord of Monaco, Menton and Vintimille,
bought this ground and gave his name to it. He also
constructed a fort, the ruins of which were recently
unearthed. Thej^ tower some eighty feet above the edge
of a high cliff which forms part of the St Louis gorge.
The rock is called La Grimaldi, and its cracks and
crevices form grottoes. It seems that once the Romans,
and perhaps their predecessors, explored the palaeolithic
deposits of the Baousse-Roussc. An Englishman in 1770
tried to dig into the Grotte du Prince. In 1786 de
Saussure discovered a lime-kiln under the shelter of the
Grotte des Enfants, 22 feet long; and other grottoes
were used for the same purpose. Before 1848, Prince
Florestan I. sent a case full of remains from these grottoes
to Paris, but they were lost or destroyed during the revolu-
tion. However, in 1865, Professor Broca visited thegrottoes,

202

i

THE TROGLODYTE CAVES 203

and insisted that they were refuges where people went to
enjoy their meals in security — a sort of prehistoric Giro.

VV^hen. in January 1870, the railway was built on the
uncultivated strip of land in front of the first four caves
the distinguished French geologist, M. Riviere, was there
all day long striving to impress on the navvies respect for
the sacredness of the soil they were digging into or
exploding with mines. By June 1871, M. Riviere was
able to take a large collection to Paris, and next autumn
the Minister of Public Instruction gave him an official
mission, so that he was able to dig deeply and open
several grottoes. The " Memoirs," published in 1873,
testify to his activity. He had found only a few petrified
birds, including a falcon the size of an eagle ; but he came
across many large animals such as wolves, antelopes,
rhinoceroses, and finally human skeletons. There was the
skeleton of the Cavillon grotto known in the world of
anthropology as riiommc dc Mcnion. He was found some
twenty feet above the stalagmitic level. This skeleton
is now at the Paris Museum of Natural History, by
the window on the first floor overlooking the Old Orleans
railway station. The skull is stained with red, and a
number of shells of snail-like animals adhere to it. These
are the A7/.v.w of the Mediterranean. The late Dr Henry
Rennet, of Menton, Professor Bennett of Edinburgh, and
Dr .lolm Martin of Portsmouth, a distinguished dentist,
were all present during the week it took to uncover,
without damaging, the skeleton. It is that of a very tall
man, with perfect teeth, who seems to have died in his
sleep. The general opinion, which was endorsed by Sir
Charles I^yell, is that he belonged to the palaeolithic
period — that is, the epoch of the mammoth, when man
had not yet learnt how to polisli stones.

Most appropriately, at the Paris Natural History
Museum, from the gallery close to the Menton skeleton
a commanding view can be obtained of the life-sized
reproduction of the mammoth-like Diplodoctis Carnegiei
■which is at the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburg. This model

204 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

is a gift of Mr Andrew Carnegie to M. Fallieres, President
of the Republic. The Diplodocus was a giant reptile of the
Secondary era, and lived at the end of the Jurassic period,
on the borders of the tropical lagoons that stretched to
the Rocky Mountains. It was found in Sheep Creek,
jVlbany, co. Wyoming, and is 82 feet long and 13
feet high. Thus very important discoveries made in
America and in the principality of Monaco are close
neighbours in the Paris Museum of Natural History.

Soon other skeletons were found, including those of
two children in what is now known as /a Groftc des
Enfunts. The implements used by the men varied greatly,
though the animals around them were much the same.
The cut stones differed in size, and there was a total
absence of tools made with bones. It was in 1882 that
Prince Albert first began his researches. He dug with his
own hands in the Banna grande, noting down at once
whatever he discovered. His object was not so much to
pick up specimens that might form a collection as to
unravel, on the ground itself, every sort of evidence likely
to give a picture that would facilitate the understanding
of the epoch to which they belonged. Then he also con-
ceived the idea of saving these grottoes and the precious
evidence they contained froin the depredations of scientists
and of idlers. It was indeed necessary to see that what
still remained should not be destroyed and Avasted by
unskilled explorers or ignorant tourists. ^Mlen the prince
was obliged to leave he insisted that M. Saige, Con-
servator of the Archives, should conduct the explorations
on the same lines. Everything found was carefully sorted
and classified in Paris, with the aid of M. Gantry, whose
competence in such matters is universally recognised.

The prince insisted on the careful study of levels. If
for a certain depth there was nothing, this represented
a period of non-habitation. The things found above this
level would indicate the progress accomplished when
compared with what was found below the barren stratum.
Everything was noted on the spot and the earth boarded

ANTHROPOLOGISTS 205

up so that it should not crumble down and mix the
periods. The earth when carted away was removed hori-
zontally, so as to keep to the same period. Then it was
passed through a fine sieve, and thus small objects, such as
pins, did not escape notice. To be more free and sure in
his researches, the prince bought one of the grottoes, now
known as the Grotte du Pr'uux. The rapid progress of
anthropology which took place when the prince was yet
quite a young man, and the discoveries made in the land
of his ancestors, greatly stimulated his interests in all
that was connected with the origin of man.

Early in his researches the prince sought the assist-
ance of the Chanoine I^. de Villeneuve and of M.
JNlarcellin Boule, professor at the Paris Natural History
Museum and editor of t Anthropologie. The services
of Professor Verneau, for pure anthropology, and
Professor Cartignac for prehistoric archaeology, were also
secured. P^'inally, in 1906, the prince invited the Inter-
national Congress of Anthropology to hold its Thirteenth
Session at Monaco. Specialists from all parts of the world
responded to this invitation, and were well pleased with
such an opportunity of personally verifying the importance
of the prince's researches. Already in 1902 the prince
had determined to build a museum to contain what was
discovered in the neighbourhood bearing on prehistoric
anthropology. Professor Boule was commissioned to
organise this museum, and now it is open to the public
every day. Here the Chanoine de ^'^illeneuve, with his
assistant, M. Frederic Leorenzi, are constantly at work, and
they, <at least, know how to receive and encourage the
ignorant inquirer. They do not take it for granted that
the first-comer knows all about their science, and manifest
impatience when their technical terms are not understood.
Some learned professors are so absorbed in their studies
that they fail to perceive that if someone makes inquiries it
is precisely because he is ignorant. At the Anthropological
Museum the reverend canon, though a man of science,
has all the tact of a Catholic priest, and does not fail

206 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

to inspire the most ignorant of his visitors with at least a
gUmmer of liope.

It would be an excellent thing if periodical excursions,
at a fixed fee, could be organised to the grottoes at
Menton, beginning or concluding with a visit to the
museum at Monaco, M. Leorenzi and, at times, perhaps,
the Chanoine de Villeneuve himself, giving explanations.
For nine years, from 1895 to lOO^, M. Leorenzi dug and
worked almost every day. The greater part of his time was
devoted to the red rocks at Menton. But there were also
explorations in the Bas-Moulin and in the St Martin rock
near the Oceanographic Museum. In the Monaco rock —
the far end is named after St Martin — some human
palaeolithic fragments were disinterred, together with the
remains of stags, wolves, leopards, horses, pigs and goats.
There were also some marmots, though to-day these animals
only live farther inland and much higher up the mountains.
At the Bas-Moulin remains of the Neolithic Age and of
man were found. This is the new or polished stone age. By
that time, great Britain was already separated from the
Continent and the Mediterranean had sunk far enough
effectively to separate Europe from Africa. The woolly
rliinoceros was extinct, and races of animals were beginning
to part company, the musk sheep travelling towards tlie
Arctic zone, the lion and the hippopotamus towards the
tropical zones.

After much collecting, the question of utihsing what
had been discovered became more and more urgent. When
a fossil is found, it is covered with earth or other matter.
This has to be carefully removed and the bone found
under such a covering must be consolidated so that it
may be preserved, and marked so that it may be recognised
and catalogued ; otherwise it will be of no service. The
putting together of broken bones, the reconstitution of
a shattered skeleton, the preparation of the specimen so
that it may be placed in the glass case of a museum,
require special knowledge and skill. The prince therefore
sent M. Leorenzi to the Natural History Museum at

TiiK Aniiihiipoi.oguat. MrsKi'M

THE "GROTTE DU PRINCE" 207

Paris, where he was thoroughly trained in tlie arts and
crafts associated with anthropology.

It was under the guidance of M. Leorenzi that I visited
the prince's grotto. On an excellent road after an easy
level walk from the caravan station at Menton, the grotto
or cave is reached. The accompanying phototypographic
illustration shows a small portion of the wall protecting
the approach of the cavern. But M. Leorenzi was armed
with a big and heavy key which opened the door in the wall.
It is situated immediately to the left of the railway line
and tunnel, looking towards Italy. The cavity now disclosed
was absolutely filled up, and the digging began at the top,
where the opening in the rock forms a sharp point. At
first only modern things were found, such as stones of
fruit, shells and nuts. A straight line at the top shows
where the digging began. Numbers are affixed here and
there to indicate various phases of the work. Thus we can
note a stratum some seven or eight feet deep where
nothing indicating habitation was found. Tiien a red line
painted along the side of the cavern shows the finding-
ground. As we reach the deeper layers of earth we come to
a deposit where the flint implements are not so well made,
and in the stratum marked C we get traces of the rhino-
ceros and the elephant.

At Monaco one of the really interesting features of the
Anthropological Museum is the graphic and easily compre-
hensible manner in which these researches are shown and
explained. First there is a drawing giving a section of the
cave, each stratimi being numbered and coloured. Close
by are specimens, each bearing a paper of the same
colour as that given to the layer of deposit from which it
was extracted. Thus we can find at once the rough flint
stones of the earlier periods, the cut flints ol" a later date
and the polished stones and pottery of a date still more
recent. And while the development of man may be ti-aced
by the implements he made, so also is his mode of life
recorded by the bones of the animals he ate, which have
been petrified side by side with his own bones.

208 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

At last we reach man himself, but who will tell us what
sort of man, or how he got there ? We call him a Trog-
lodyte, which only means that he dwelt in caves. As,
however, his bones were found in a cave, this can hardly
be considered a very illuminating piece of information.
Some of the Troglodytes who lived in the caves of
Grimaldi or Menton are said to have belonged to the
earlier negroid race, and so we concluded that they came
from Africa before the Mediterranean destroyed the over-
land route. But no skin remains to tell us whether these
men were black ; and now there are learned authorities
who find that these bones compare better with the natives
of Australia. The fact is, nobody quite knows, but every-
body can see that this supposed negroid man had more
teeth than modern men, that the bones of his limbs were
longer, and his jaw protruded in a more bestial manner.
As a contrast, there was also disinterred the skeleton of
a Northern type of giant belonging to a more civilised and
more modern race. Finally, in the highest strata, Greek
and Roman remains were found. Thus is it possible to
trace man back to the earliest times : but when I asked
M. de Villeneuve how early this might be, he replied that
he did not believe in dates. Probably man existed fifteen
thousand years before our era, perhaps much earlier, but
really he did not know.

In the lowest marine layer of the Cave (hi Prince,
just on the other side and under the wall in the ac-
companying illustration, is a marine deposit. This is one
mass of little sea-shells, and here was found the shell of
the Cams rxija, which comes from the Indian Ocean, and
the Strombus bubonius, a tropical shell to be seen in
Senegal or some similar and very hot climate. In this,
the lowest part of the cavern, we are in the Pliocene
system, or period when man did not exist, though he
seems to have arrived immediately after. Here is the
priinitive elephant, the rhinoceros of hot climates, and
especially the hippopotamus, which is so very susceptible
to cold that the water at the " zoo " has to be especially

The Anthropological Museum
Northern tvpk ok (iiANT

THE FIRST MAN 209

warmed for him. Then, as the cavern fills up, the climate
becomes colder till we reach the glacial period ; and on
this selfsame spot, only some feet higher, we find the
reindeer and other frequenters of the Arctic regions.
What are ancient temples by the side of this natural
shelter provided by a slit, a crack occurring in a
rock ? Here we have accumulations that tell us some-
thing about the world before man existed. Then higher
up we see the first appearance of man, the so-called
negroid man who knew nothing, built nothing, but did
manage to make a little fire by rubbing pieces of wood to-
gether. This type is found everywhere and on both sides of
the Atlantic. He hunted by himself, for he had not even
learnt how to tame a dog. If there are any horses or cows
it is because they had been killed and eaten, not because
the negroid man knew how to domesticate them.

There are nine grottoes in all at the red rocks of
Menton, and the inhabited parts are carpeted with a
stratum of cinders, the remains of innumerable fires.
Here the animals were cooked, and some of their fossilised
bones may still be dug up. But in these layers of cinders
there are subdivisions. Burnt bones are the exception,
the cinders are very small, mostly of herbs or brushwood.
Only one large piece of petrified wood has been found,
a piece of oak. There are five layers or periods of habita-
tion in the Caverne du Prmce ; then we come to the
marine clay that terminates such explorations. The
distance from the highest to the lowest, or, in other words,
the depth of the digging, is 71 feet, and it is the oldest
of the caverns. It seems well established that there was
a broad belt of land spread out in front of the rocks and
mountains before the sea was reached. Here the animals
whose remains are in the caverns, but who do not live
in mountains, used to roam about, coming to the caves
occasionally for shelter. And it was for the same purpose
that men frequented the caverns, for they were not buried
in them. To test this theory, the prince has sounded the
whole coast and found that thei'e is a strip of ground

210 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

varying from six to eight miles in width where the water
at the deepest places is only ninety or a hundred feet deep.
But at the limit of this ancient foreshore there comes a
sharp descent as if the edge of a cliff had been reached.

As in regard to the oceanographic research, so with
respect to anthropology, the prince has defrayed the cost
of publishing large and beautifully illustrated volumes
recording the work done and the discoveries made. The
first is " Historical and Descriptive," and is written by
Canon L. de \'^illeneuve. The second is by Professor
Marcellin Boule, treating of the Geology and Palaeontology,
and the third is on Anthropology, by Dr Rene Verneau.
As with oceanography so with regard to anthropology.
All these works may be consulted at the museum
or at the Municipal Library. No charge is made at the
library, and every visitor to Monaco should go and see
for himself, by the evidence these great and beautiful
volumes give, what a mighty work has been done for the
cause of the enlightenment conferred by science.

In 1902, at Petites-Pjircnees and Haute-Garonne,
M. F. Regnault, of the French Archteological Society,
found in a grotto some red and black paintings of a pre-
historic character. These were similar to those discovered
at Altamira in Spain some years previously. M. de
Santnold while out shooting, in 1868, had pushed his way
into the Altamira cavern. But he was not a man of
science, and there were very few men of science capable
of judging the value of the discovery then made. This
opportunity of tracing the arts and habits of the primitive
inhabitants of Gaul and Iberia did not awaken much
enthusiasm in Spain. But when something similar was
found in France a small subvention was obtained from
the Acadriiiie des InscTipiions ct liclles Leitrcn so that the
cave of Altamira, in the north of Spain, might be better
examined. Once inside, the explorers had to crawl and
lie down on their backs to see the low and unequal roof
that stretched out to the length of 130 feet. This
neglected spot was now invaded by crowds, who came to

The Cavf.rnk dv Prince: a Troi.odytk Dwiii.i.iNG

\

TROGLODYTE ARTISTS 211

find out what the explorers had come to see. There were
many difficulties, but nevertheless Professor H. Breuil
made some excellent copies of the paintings that existed
on this roof.

By that time, however, the small subsidy was exhausted,
and no one had the means of publishing these copies.
Here it was that the Prince of Monaco stepped into the
breach and offered the printing establishment of the
principality to reproduce in the most perfect and artistic
manner possible the copies made by Professor H. Breuil.
It is a mystery how the original paintings were done and
their colouring preserved. There is this to be said, they
cannot be seen by daylight. There are traces of one
painting near the entrance, but it has faded. Inside the
cave there is no light at all, so there must have been a
good artificial light at the period. The execution is artistic.
Some of the animals represented are 6 feet in length.
The fact that there is paint inside tlie cracks in the
stone suggests the use of something like a brush to
push it in. Some sharp instrument, a flint perhaps, was
employed to cut a portion of the design into the rock
that formed the roof of the cave. Ochre is abundant in the
neighbouring iron mines, and may explain the colouring.
The Troglodytes who lived here were evidently hunters,
and they depicted the animals they pursued, but some
of these exist no longer, such as the primitive stag and
the buffalo. In one gallery there are twenty-three fine
pictures of animals, if a modern had painted these there
would be some trace of the light employed.

The reproduction of one of these pictures given here
represents a bovine animal and a female bison. Above we
see the portions of the design that are cut into the rock.
The rest is coloured with brick-red or with black, and
both pigments are admirably preserved. They are perfectly
reproduced in the coloured illustration printed at Monaco.
Three large volumes dealing with these prehistoric
drawings and paintings have already been published at
the prince's expense, and the knowledge of these dis-

212 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

coveries saved for the use of present and future generations.
Not content with this, and realising more and more the
importance of such researches, the prince resolved to
create in Paris an institute to encourage all possible studies
relating to man. It is called the Institute of Human
Palfeontology, and has been recognised as of " public
utility " by the French Government. The prince has put
at its head his old coadjutor. Professor Boule, and has
also obtained the services of I'Abbe Breuil, who copied the
paintings in the caverns, and Professor Obermaier. Then,
so that the institute may live, the prince has given it an
endowment of £80,000 or 2,000,000 francs. Further, he is
erecting the building at his own expense, and it threatens
to cost nearly as much. This will be a purely international
institute and Sir Ray Lankester has been appointed to
represent Great Britain. It will be situated close to the
Ja7-din des Plantes and the JNIuseum of Natural History.
Its great purpose is to help the science that seeks,
especially by means of researches and digging, to unravel
the history and origin of man.

.^X^NVM.-,

.A.^

PkK-HISIORIi- PaI.NIINC I.N IHK Al.TAMlKA CAVERN

CHAPTER XV

THE ARCHIVES ; THE PEACE INSTITUTE ; THE PALACE AND

THE LAWS

IT was during the reign of Charles III. that the
classification of the archives was commenced. Some
four years, from 1882 to 1886, were devoted to putting
the papers in order. That portion of the palace which was
used as the mint in the days when the Grimaldis coined
their own money is now devoted to the housing of the
archives. These are divided into three series of papers.
First those of the Grimaldi family and Monaco, which
comprise the secret archives of the princes and their
secretaries, together with notary's deeds relating to pro-
perty belonging to the princes and letters concerning their
private lives. A few of these documents date back as far
as the year 982. The second series are entitled " Terres de
France," and deal with the duchy of \'^alentinois, other
French titles or estates and the Matignon family. These
papers take us away from Monaco and treat of the
government of different parts of France, such as Cherbourg,
the Channel Islands, etc. The third series, called the
Dukes of Aumont and Mazarin series, bring us nearer
still to general history. It is in this series that the letter
from Oliver Cromwell is placed, and it affords us some
insight into the character and policy of Cardinal Mazarin.
It was the historian, M. (iustave Saige, who first put
the aix'hives in order. But if confined in the palace at
Monaco these documents would not have been of much
use. Therefore it was decided to publish the more
important among them, so that they might be consulted
at the principal libraries in all parts of the world. Thus

21. 'J

214 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

in 1888 a volume of 716 pages was printed containing
the reproduction of the correspondence, etc., dating from
1412 to 1494. In 1890 a volume of 906 pages brought
the correspondence up to 1540 ; and in 1891 a third
volume of 724 pages gave us the chief contents of the
archives from 1540 to 1641. Then, in 1905, a fourth
volume of 640 pages appeared, which should be the first
volume, as it contains historical documents relating to
the principality anterior to the fifteenth century. Here
will be found a good deal of evidence concerning the
raids on the coasts of England by Monegasque ships.
There are numerous letters from the three great
Monegasque admirals who served the kings of Naples and
of France — Rainier Grimaldi, his son, Charles Grimaldi,
and his grandson, the second Rainier, each in his turn the
chief of the house of Grimaldi.

The Paris National Library has acquired a register
of the accounts of the Treasury under Philippe de Valois,
which contains minute details regarding the equipment
and cost of the galleys armed from 1340 to 1346 at
Monaco by Charles Grimaldi. This is followed by a
description of their subsequent disarmament and sale to
the King of France after the disastrous campaign of
Crecy. Thus at Monaco we find not only the documents
that compose the Monaco archives but, annexed to them,
copies of other documents existing in other archives that
supplement the information available on the spot.

Of the 207 documents that are printed, dating before
the fifteenth century, 20 are borrowed : the others had
never been published and the originals are at the Palace
of Monaco or in the archives of the Genoese Republic.
Among the documents copied from other archives is one
from the Record Office, London, Chancery, Miscellaneous
Rolls, Bundle 14, No 15. It is a lengthy protest, written
in Old French, emanating from English prelates, lords
and merchants, against the enterprises of Rainier Grimaldi,
Admiral of France, whom they accuse of hostile acts
perpetrated in times of peace. They ask that Rainier

THE ARCHIVES AND CROMWELL 215

shall be condemned and compensation given to the
victims ; or that in default of this the King of France, in
whose employ he was, should indemnify them. There are
letters from Edward IIL to the Sicilian Government
regarding the interference with Monegasque galleys
which the King of England wished to hire, and many
other documents bearing upon the naval wars waged
against England by fleets from Monaco.

The d'Aumont correspondence is very interesting,
and is connected still more intimately with general
history. Thus, for instance, some of the letters, briefly
to summarise them, set forth that the war is going on
badly. Dunkirk was besieged by the Spaniards. A fleet
sent to its relief called at Dieppe, and took on board
1500 men, provisions and ammunition. The Spanish ships
could not have prevented this help from arriving, but
Blake, in obedience to orders from Cromwell, attacked
the fleet of the Duke of V^endome between Calais and
Dunkirk and took 15 ships as prizes to Dover. Cromwell
was displeased by the French Government's rejection
of the proposal he had made with regard to Dunkirk,
which he desired to buy. He offered to pay 2,000,000
crowns and to lend 15,000 soldiers and 50 ships to the
King of France and INlazarin to fight against the rebels
and against Spain. jNIazarin, approving this offer, would
have accepted it, but the queen could not make up her
mind to abandon Dunkirk, and it was too evident that
Cromwell's purpose was to restore to England another
Calais. The French were much surprised at being attacked
by the English. ^Vhen they protested that there was no
war, ('romwell replied that it was retaliation for the
pillage of English ships in the Mediterranean ; but he
released tlie Frencli ships. In the meanwhile Dunkirk
capitulated.

This vignette of history is an example of the glimpses
that occur in studying the archives at Monaco. These
archives, it must be noted, are becoming more and more
valuable. Every year the archivist, M. L. H. Labande,

216 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

goes for a few months to study other archives or
celebrated libraries, and there copies any documents he
may find that might help to explain or throw a new
light on what exists at Monaco. Thus there will be ever-
increasing attractions for the historian visiting Monaco.
For those, on the other hand, who cannot go to Monaco,
there are the printed volumes just mentioned, and many
others ; in all about twenty or thirty publications dealing
with what has been found in the archives of the princi-
pality. The archives therefore are a very important
institution, though sadly neglected by the majority of
visitors. This neglect, however, will not continue for long.
The general public will discover, what the world of
science well knows, that Monaco is not merely a pleasure
resort, but a centre where much excellent and serious
work is carried on.

Another centre of study is the International Peace
Institute. It occupies a modest building, the chapel of the
ancient hospital. This is near the Government buildings
in the Place de la Visitation. The institute was founded
and endowed by the Prince of Monaco in February 1903.
In consists of an international peace library, where all the
literature bearing on the question of the prevention of
war is collected and placed at the disposal of the public.
In a word, this is a centre of propaganda. The staff
consists of ten Monegasques residing in the principality
and forty-five elected foreign members. At the great
Universal Exhibition held at Paris in 1900, M. Gaston
Moch organised the exhibit of the International Peace
Bureau, which was rewarded with the Grand Prix. The
diagrams, the reproduction of the works of art and many
of the objects composing this exhibition are now at the
Monaco Peace Institute. During the season, from two to
four P.M., the institute is open to the public. As it is just
by the tram terminus, most visitors to Monaco must pass
close to it, and should devote some time to acquiring at
least a little knowledge concerning the efforts made to
save the world from the scourge of Avar.

I

PAPAL GENERAL STRIKE 217

There is an annual subvention of £240 assigned to the
pubheation of works tliat may assist the adv^ocacy of peace.
Thus among other books and pamphlets printed at
JSIonaco for the Peace Institute is to be found one by
M. E. Izard treating the problem from the Theo-
sophical point of view. JNI. A. Delassas gives a summary
of Pacifist instruction. For this purpose he quotes the
arguments generally brought forward in favour of war, or
at least showing the difficulty of preventing war, and then
explains how to deal with them. L'Abbe Pichot is pub-
lishing a new work for the Peace Institute whicii is likely
to attract special attention. It proves that in the Middle
Ages we were better off than in modern times for inter-
national laws to prevent war. For example, there was a
law, an international law, which set forth in what circum-
stances war was justifiable, and when it could not be
sanctioned. The Pope was the supreme authority, who
could and did interfere to prevent wars. During the last
few years the question of the prevention of war has been
discussed at the annual congresses held by the Inter-
national Federation of Miners, the miners feeling that
they had only to stop the production of coal to render
war impossible. These discussions were held by the re-
presentatives of close upon 1,200,000 organised miners
of America, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Sweden and Holland. No one can have followed
the debates without realising how strong is the feeling in
favour of a general international strike against war. But
this is no new idea. Nothing could be more thorough,
more absolute than the general strikes organised by the
popes and carried out to stop war. The most famous was
the general strike and boycott ordered by Pope Gregory
VII. against Henry IV. of the Holy Roman Empire. The
word Boycott, it is true, did not exist in those days, nor
was there a Confederation Gencrale du Travail to
popularise the term " general strike," but never were the
two ideas more completely realised.

All the barons and soldiers in the service of Henry IV.

218 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

were released from their oath of obedience. None of
his servants was allowed to execute the king's orders
under the penalty of being in his turn excommunicated.
No modern syndicalist ever dreamed of such a complete
general strike, and its success created the historical and
idiomatic expression : " to take the road to Canossa."
Here Henry IV., barefooted, shivering in a scanty linen
shirt, came to prostrate himself before the Pope and
humbly beg his Holiness to end the general strike.
L'Abbe Pichot in his work will not, I am sure, employ
any of these horrible and threatening modern terms.
Instead of the proclamation of a general strike we shall
hear of a Papal Bull of Excommunication. And the
signal for the cessation of the strike will be the granting
of absolution or pardon. The fact remains that the
Church, internationally organised, checked monarchs
when they wished to pillage and to fight ; and that to-
day the miners, internationally organised, contemplate a
somewhat similar action. If for one moment we pause
to reflect on the potentialities of these suggestions and
consider that such thoughts are generated at Monaco,
how can we look upon the principality as a place only fiit
for frivolity and pleasure-hunting ?

The real fact is that, whatever may be said about
Monte Carlo, the best of all good company congi-egates
at Monaco. Here the members of the aristocracy of
intellect are sure of a welcome. From all parts of the
world men of science are attracted to Monaco, and at
the palace we may also meet great leaders in thought, in
the arts, in politics and in literature. But more enjoyable
by far than the formal receptions are the intimate
breakfasts given at noon, and generally followed by coffee
and liqueurs on the private terrace. Here some of the
guests cluster round the tables, others enjoy the beautiful
view from the parapet over the bay of Fontvieille to
Cap d'Ail with the towering Tete de Chien rising in the
background to protect the palace and the principality.
The prince will often select one of his guests and make

O "

■

k

SOCIETY AT THE PALACE 219

him pace up and down the terrace as if he were on the
deck of a ship. This is the moment to get things said
and explained which perhaps have been held back for
want of a suitable opportunity. When his Excellency
Monsieur Armand Fallieres, President of the French
Republic, was on a visit to H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco
he was made to pace this terrace, and M. Enrietti, the
photographer, succeeded in taking a snapshot just as the
prince was indulging in one of his best jokes.

Subsequently Lieutenant Bouree was anxious to get
a colour photograph of the President of the Republic, and
succeeded admirably. The president's cheeks were rather
Hushed at that moment, and the flesh tints are wonder-
fully reproduced, as is the vivid colouring of the flowers
and foliage. These colour photographs are most beautiful,
and are invaluable as a record. When recently Lieutenant
Bouree accompanied the prince to the courts of Austria,
Belgium and Spain he showed some of the colour
photographs taken during the later oceanographic
expeditions. Though he put some of them in a lantern, in
answer to my questions Lieutenant Bouree explained that
they were of no use as ordinary lantern slides. First, an
electric light of 50 amperes was necessary, and this could
but rarely be obtained. Then it would not be safe to
expose the colour photograph in such a light for more
than ten seconds. This is not sufficient time to give any
sort of explanation. Therefore, generally speaking, we
must be content to look at colour photographs just as
they are or through a magnifying-glass. When coffee is
taken indoors instead of on the terrace, the guests who
are not engaged in conversation are able to look at some
of these colour photographs, and thus obtain a much
better idea of what is seen during an oceanographic
expedition.

Apart from the sciences that can be studied to such
advantage at Monaco, politicians and administrators
would find much to learn and observe. Here essays in
legislation may be made which a statesman would not

1

220 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

dare to attempt in a great country. Monaco thus becomes
a sort of legislative laboratory in which Europe may safely
experiment. As an example in point, we may take the
present high price of bread and meat, leading to many
serious riots in France and Austria, and to strikes organised
by the general public against the butchers and the bakers
of several towns in the United States of America. During
the Great French Revolution the celebrated law of the
Maximum was enacted. Under this law the price of bread
is fixed, and bakers are not at liberty to charge what they
think proper. It will come as a surprise to many to hear
that this celebrated law is in force in the principality, and
not only in regard to bread but also with respect to meat.
Now that the present high prices suggest the necessity of
some such legislation it would surely be of practical use
to see how the law of the Maximum works in Monaco.

It must be confessed that, judging from the inquiries
I have made, the results are not conclusive. First of all,
there is not enough poverty in the principality for the
public to be generally interested in securing the strict
application of the law. Certainly if a butcher refuses to
sell meat at the regulation price as fixed by the law, the
customer can call a policeman and the butcher will be
punished. But such a customer would ever after find it
difficult to get served. People complain that it is not
possible to get good meat under the law and that the
prince himself pays more than the tariff prices. But if the
law is not strictly applied to the price of meat it is very
effective in regard to the weight. And if, on the pretext
of giving choice bits, butchers evade the law, it is strictly
obeyed by the bakers, and this is a great protection to the
population. For the butcher it is urged that he often pays
more for his meat than would possibly admit of his selling
at the legal price. It seems as if the JNIaximum had not
been fixed with due regard to the quality of meat
necessary to satisfy a large section of the visitors to the
principality. In any case, it is almost impossible to impose
a tariff on a market when there are other markets close at

■-'. u

O <

A LEGISLATIVE LABORATORY 221

hand which escape from any such restrictions. The price
of meat at Nice decides the price at Monaco far more
effectively than the legislative enactments which are
supposed to govern the principality. However, whether a
success or a failure, the fact that the law of the Maximum
exists at Monaco adds immensely to the interest of the
place ; especially to-day, when in so many countries the
dearness of provisions has become an urgent and threaten-
ing problem.

In many other respects, which would take too long
to enumerate, new laws have been enacted, old ones
modified and jurisdiction simplified. All this is interesting
to those who study such matters, because there is at
Monaco a field for experiment such as does not exist any-
where else. A trial may be made here which it would be
dangerous to attempt elsewhere ; and thus again does the
little principality of Monaco render service in the advance
of civilisation.

CHAPTER XVI

THE TRADES, INDUSTRIES AND KEW CONSTITUTION

THOUGH in any case the methods of administra-
tion and the laws of the principaUty offer many
points of importance, this has been greatly ac-
centuated by the recent so-called constitutional agitation.
Here in miniature will be found many of the leading
interests that go to make the world's history. We can
study them as shown on a small scale, and therefore are
more likely to understand those currents that determine
great events. Here then we have a population exempt
from all direct taxation, living in the midst of wealth and
prosperity, enjoying the benefits of lavish expenditure on
local government to which they do not contribute, and
yet, with all this, they are not content. On the contrary
(it seems almost a case of mental aberration), they are
actually clamouring for taxation. If we say. Pity the poor
taxpayer, we are invited, in reply, to pity the wealthy
Monegasque who does not pay any taxes. To be told it is
a great misfortune not to have any taxes to pay is certainly
a new experience, and this constitutes another interesting
problem for the visitor to Monaco. Yet when we think of
it, a reaction in favour of taxation is not only natural, but
it might be taken as evidence of noble and high motives
of the ambition to assume the duties and responsibilities
of citizenship. The point is that though the inhabitants of
the principality are very fortunate, they cannot lose sight
of the fact that, collectively speaking, they possess nothing
whatsoever. This does not matter so long as the present
prosperity continues. But something might happen to the
reigning family and the casino might be swept away. At

222

CLAMOURING FOR TAXATION 223

such a moment, just when their resources were vanishing
and their property losing three parts of its value, they
would be called upon, for the first time in their lives, to
pay taxes.

The primary object of the agitation was to create a
public fund, a Budget. There was at first no desire to
spend such money. No one thought of creating places
with emoluments to be given to agitators. The original
idea was to collect some money to be put aside where
it might accumulate. A people's sinking fund, a public
property, was to be created. The people would then feel
less dependent on the prince and the casino ; and they
might help themselves should either or both fail. But such
wise foresight soon degenerated. Appetites that had re-
mained dormant awoke and began to see in the agitation
various openings. Instead of urging that it was necessary
to put something by for a rainy day, they now began to
say that the principality was wasting its opportunities.
There was a great talk concerning vast enterprises that
were to provide employment and make fortunes. The
deplorable thing about it all is tliat the people do not
understand there is already far too much enterprise.

Of course the principality is quite unsuitable for
manufacturing enterprise. The land is far too dear and
the difficulty of bringing provisions along this narrow
ledge between the higli mountains and the deep sea v/ould
handicap any ordinary factory or mill. Besides, while it
would be difficult to feed, it would be quite impossible to
lodge the workpeople. Then, as there are no native work-
people in the principality, why spoil the beauty and
tranquillity of this unique spot by importing a large
underpaid and therefore turbulent proletaiiat ? ^Ionaco hjis
one of the best climates and is one of the most beautiful
places in Europe. Is not this a sufficient endowment? To
ask for more is to court the destruction of what exists.
People come for the climate and the scenery : not to
liear the rattle of mills and breathe smoke from factory
chimneys.

224 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Apart from manufactories, merely as a centre for
retail trade this milder form of enterprise has been over-
done. There has been a good many failures, not because
business is bad, but because businesses are started on a
bad basis. Formerly if a man opened a shop he did this
in his own town, where he knew many people and was
acquainted with the local requirement. He carried on his
trade as conscientiously and honestly as possible in order
to win a good reputation and ensure the future of his
children by creating a business he could leave to them.

At JNIonte Carlo, tradesmen have come pouring in
from various foreign countries, thinking they would make
money in a very short time because there were no taxes
to pay, and the place is developing with wonderful
rapidity. Speculators of this description have no idea of
winning a good reputation by honourable dealings ; they
are strangers in a strange land, serving other strangers
who have still less claim to be considered as natives
or even as residents. Such customers are not likely
to return. Thus there is no care shown to keep up a
reputation, but merely the desire to make the utmost out
of each individual transaction. This is all very foolish,
because even those who do not return tell their friends to
buy all they require before they come to Monaco ; and,
when there, if they still need anything, then they are
advised to do their shopping at Nice.

The tradesmen here are not the traditional tradesmen.
They have lost the old bourgeois virtues that made the
political and social power of the bourgeoisie so great that
under Louis Philippe they became the real governing
class. At Monte Carlo they are a cosmopolitan horde of
gamblers rather than tradesmen. They do not gamble at
the casino, for they are not admitted, but their notions
of trade are gambling notions rather than conceptions of
earning an honest living by steady attention to work and
the rendering of genuine service for a moderate profit. Of
course this rapacity fails to develop the friendliness and
neighbourly feelings which form such a delightful phase,

o
•J

TOO MUCH ENTERPRISE 225

especially of French retail trade. How agreeable it is to
note that shopkeepers in the same district make a point
of buying from each other. They are friends with one
another and with many of their customers. This accounts
for the comparative failure of stores in France. To the
purchaser cheapness is not the sole object.

Then come swooping down upon the principality great
financial companies or syndicates, and they also want to
gain fabulous sums in a very short time. Instead of im-
proving it they spoil the place with the ugly buildings
they rear for their businesses, just as if the casino was
not making enough money for everyone without the
coming of these financial companies to render the princi-
pality insupportable. There has been too much success.
The flood of money is corrupting everything. W^e long
for the quiet and perfume of the lemon groves, the song
of the birds, the sparkle and glitter of the fireflies ; we
get the shriek of the motor car, the stench of its petrol
and the flare of its acetylene lamp.

In the Condamine district, and still more in the
historical town of Monaco itself, we have somewhat less
of the gambling element among tradesmen, and they have
not altogether lost the old bourgeois virtues. The small
retail shops are nearly all in the hands of Italians, some
of whom have become nationalised. The others are so
near home that they have not the notion of leaving as
soon as they succeed in amassing a little money. They
constitute a more stable element of the population.
Whatever labour is required is also almost entirely
supplied by Italians. Native Monegasques are far too well
off' to tliink of doing liard, physical work, and it is difficult
to see why they should urge the introduction of new
enterprises in which they are quite incapable of taking
any useful part.

Fortunately, as already stated, there is a special
Monegasque law concerning joint-stock and limited
liability companies. They are more closely watched and
controlled than in other countries, and there is not so

226 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

much danger of seeing bubble companies floating in the
principahty. In several cases, on the pretext that such
enterprises practically enjoyed a monopoly, they have
been made to pay a small sum ; and, what is more valuable,
they have to show their accounts. Very wisely, these
enterprises are, to a large extent, confined to one district.
It is situated beyond the JNIonaco rock in the direction of
Nice and called Fontvieille. Here a portion of the small
bay is being reclaimed from the sea so that there shall
be more room for future factories. At present the two
principal establishments are a brewery on the Bavarian
model and a very elaborate macaroni manufactory. Here
again the visitor who needs food for thought will find it
in the practical evidence these industries give on the beer
and macaroni problems. We know that in England beer
is an unsafe drink because there is no law to define its
constituents ; hence such cases as the arsenic poisoning of
beer-drinkers at Manchester. In Bavaria, for more than
five hundred years, it has been a criminal offence to make
beer with anything whatsoever but barley malt, hops,
yeast and water. The beer at Monaco is brewed by German
brewers from Bavaria, and the capital embarked in this
enterprise amounts to £64,000.

The macaroni factory cost £24,000 to establish, and
the elaborate processes employed to produce these Itahan
jiastes in a great variety of forms are an interesting sight.
In England it is not realised that the macaroni problem
is practically the bread problem in other words. At
Monaco there are one hundred and twenty forms for
exactly the same paste, varying from the well-known
spaghetti, tagliarini and canneloni to the less-known
bomboloti, cockle shells, cornets or little baskets. The
substance rather than its shape is, however, the important
part of the problem, and it stands thus : Macaroni is
made not with ordinary flour but with semolina, derived
from the transparent, "hard, for the most part, Russian
wheat. This semolina contains from 50 to 55 per cent, of
gluten or nitrogenous matter, and never less than from

o>

PRODUCTIVE INDUSTRIES 227

42 to 43 per cent. If we buy flour it will be made from
tender, opaque wheat, such as the Canadian wheat, which
yields only from 30 to 35 per cent, of nitrogenous matter.
Now flour in France, as a result of protective duties, will
cost from 50 to 52 centimes the kilogramme ; but before
this can be eaten we must add the cost of the labour
of making something with the flour and of the fuel
used in cooking. The macaroni, already made, costs
60 centimes the kilogramme, and needs less labour and fire
for cooking. As macaroni contains from a quarter to two-
fifths more nutriment, and only costs one-sixth more
money, the answer to the problem favours macaroni as
against flour. There is also the sanitary question as to how
macaroni can be made without coming into contact with
dirt of any description, and this also can be studied with
great advantage in the factory at Fontvieille.

Among other large undertakings there is the manu-
facture of gas. It is proposed to remove this odoriferous
establishment from the Condamine, to which it is no
ornament, and install it in the industrial quarter of
Fontvieille. We have also the electric power works, two
steam laundries and a model bakery. Employing fewer
persons, may be mentioned a manufactory of perfumes
and an art pottery work. Altogether, the industries of
the principality are valued at the following sums : — The
casino, £15,000,000 ; the hotel industry, £1,320,000; other
industries, £360,000— total, £16,640,000. These figures
show more eloquently than any flow of rhetoric what the
casino means to the country, and therefore it can be well
understood that the inhabitants may feel a little anxious.
The enterprise most likely to survive the disappearance
of the casino is the manufactory of macaroni, for the
macaroni is now sold extensively at Nice and other
places outside the principality. Even without a casino —
that is to say, a casino with gambling — the principal means
of existence would remain the catering for strangers.
Tliough in reduced numbers, they would still frequent
the principality for the sake of its beauty and its climate.

228 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Therefore any sort of enterprise which would spoil the
beauty of the place must prove a lasting injury. In any
case, an enterprise run by foreigners witli foreign capital
would not be of any assistance to the Monegasques should
they find themselves suddenly stranded through the
abolition of the casino.

In the earlier stages, the agitation was directed against
the Governor of the Principality, who was accused of
having badly advised the prince. It was only the native
Monegasques who took part in the movement. They
called upon the prince to act more as a father to them,
since they had no rights of citizenship and lived under
the patriarchal system. It was the father's duty, and
should be his pleasure, to give privileges to his children.
The country was theirs and his, and they were tired of
always having foreign functionaries forced upon them.
Later, the prince himself came in for some share of the
unpopularity and animosity which at first M^as directed
solely against the governor.

The prince was not slow to recognise that there was
some foundation for these complaints, and has gone out
of his way to confer posts upon natives instead of upon
foreigners. The people also demanded to be more generally
employed by the casino, and this has likewise been
obtained. So there was some sense in the agitation, and
it did bring about good results. Unfortunately there are
not many able men in the country. Nor do the employees
believe in the native administrative capacity. Still, when
the agitation came to a climax and the people made a
hostile demonstration before the palace the position was
dangerous. Very fortimately no one was molested or hurt,
otherwise bloodshed would have ensued. There can be no
doubt that there was a strong feeling of resentment, and
many demonstrators had revolvers in their pockets. Great
bitterness was felt against the foreigners who had invaded
and overrun the principality, doing everything there was
to be done and keeping all the money. Why did these
foreigners open shops and sell their goods so dear, com-

REVOLUTION THREATENED 229

pelHng the native jNIonegasque to go all the way to Nice
for anything he might want ? It was not because the
casino made so much money that greedy foreign shop-
keepers were to extort exorbitant profits from the native
JNlonegasques. There was also the more sordid idea that
good things were going and they had no share in them.
The country was overrun by foreigners, the natives had
little or nothing to fall back upon, the dynasty was not
stable, the casino might be closed at any moment — then
what would become of the Monegasques ?

If, on the other hand, no such catastrophes occurred,
foreign financiers, for the benefit of foreign shareholders,
would carry out vast schemes in the principality. For
instance, it is proposed to reclaim from the sea land on
which a boulevard would be built from the JMonte Carlo
station round the bay to the eastern frontier of the
principality. Thus fresh land, created by foreigners
for the benefit of foreigners, would compete with and
reduce the value of such land as the Monegasques might
still possess in the Moulin district and up the sides of the
mountains. Already the Condamine was suffering because
the new town of Beausoleil had sprung into existence
just outside the principality. All these things came to
pass, the Monegasques were buffeted here and there
by the rapid development of economic forces and they
were not able to say a word or to influence in any way
their own destinies. So they cried aloud for a Constitution
and put revolvers in their pockets.

Itwas in October 1910 that the agitation came to a head.
When the hostile demonstration was made, serious trouble
was feared. A story is even told of mysterious cases of
wine brought to a celebrated hotel at Monte Carlo. At
the same time a large number of sailors belonging to a
British man-of-war anchored at Villefranche were un-
expectedly given a holiday. But there were conditions
attached to that holiday. It was to be spent in the
principality and the sailors were to watch the flagstaff
of the hotel, whicli had laid in a new stock of wine.

230 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Should a certain flag be hoisted, they were to hasten
to the hotel as fast as possible. On their arrival the heavy
wine-cases would be opened, rifles and ammunition ex-
tracted from them and the sailors sent out to restore
order, or, in any case, to protect British property. Several
persons occupying high positions, who ought to know,
have assured me that this story is correct. In any case,
and of this there can be no doubt, French troops were
held ready both at Villefranche and JNIenton to proceed
at a moment's notice to Monaco. Any disturbance,
especially any attack on property, would lead to foreign
intervention ; then, as Frenchmen are the principal
proprietors in Monaco, the question of annexation might
arise. But the casino has rights that the French Govern-
ment could no more recognise than the German Empire
could recognise the rights of the casinos at Hom-
burg, Wiesbaden and Baden-Baden. The future is not
clear.

Fortunately no serious disturbance occurred, and the
prince promised to grant some sort of constitution so
that the Monegasques should have a voice in the govern-
ment and administration of their country. But a most
disconcerting discovery was now made. The concession
came too late, for the Monegasques are already almost
obliterated by the foreign invasion. One unforeseen result
is that most of the Monegasque women have married
foreigners, and therefore their children are not Mone-
gasques. In 1861 the population of the principality
numbered 1200, nearly all of whom were native
Monegasques. The census of 1908 sets down the fixed
population at 19,121, comprising only 1482 Monegasques
by birth or by naturalisation. Of these latter not more
than 635 were I'eal Monegasques, and thus, in about fifty
years, the native population has decreased by about 50
per cent. Then when it came to reckoning who among
them could claim the right to vote it was found tliat
though the electorate would amount to 448 voters, the
electors were nearly all naturalised Italians, there being

OUSTING THE NATIVES 231

only 95 genuine, native-born Monegasques entitled to the
franchise.

What applies to the vote also applies to the ownership
of the 380 acres that make up the principality. It was
at that time estimated that 126 of these acres were
covered with 1300 houses valued at £7,080,000. The land
not yet built upon was considered to be worth £2,000,000.
This total real estate of £9,080,000, in which the prince's
estate is not included, is owned by 1300 different
persons. Of these landowners 620 are French, 265 Italians,
and 115 belong to other nationalities, and the value of
the land possessed by these 1000 foreigners amounts to
£7,880,000. The rest of the land, which is worth only
£1,200,000, is shared by 300 Monegasques. With regard
to personal property, such as shares in the various enter-
prises mentioned above, the situation is the same. On the
1st of January 1909 the total value of shares and
debentures was set down at £15,880,000, but of all this
property the jMonegasques themselves only possessed
stock to the value of £400,000. No invasion could be
more complete, except in one spot, Monaco town. Here
one foreigner only, an English lady, bought a beautiful
villa before the decree went forth that no part of the old
historical town of JNIonaco should be sold to strangers.
How independent and how immensely wealthy the
principality would be to-day if the same law had been
applied throughout, and all the foreign fortune-seekers
compelled to content themselves with being the tenants
of a Monegasque Commonwealth !

Now at this late hour, when the mischief has been
done, when the Monegasques are well-nigh crushed out
of existence, when their beautiful country has been dis-
figured by incongruous, ugly commercial speculations,
they have risen in their death-agony to claim a constitu-
tion. The prince was too much of a Grimaldi — that is
to say, of a Monegasque — to refuse. Too late, perhaps,
to be of much use, a trial will be made, and Monegasques
have now a voice in the affairs of their country. But

232 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

a voice in the face of economic forces recalls Canute
bidding the tide to stop.

The Constitution bears date 5th January 1911. It
consists of seven Chapters and fifty-eight Articles. The
supreme sovereignty of the prince is maintained, but
there is now a national or public domain, distinct from
the prince's private domain though drawn from the latter.
The expenditure, as already explained, is divided into the
Consolidated Services and the Interior Services, the latter
being submitted to the criticism of the popular repre-
sentatives. Individual liberty, freedom of speech, meeting,
association, the right of petitions, freedom of religion and
the freedom not to observe religious fete days, is granted
to all INIonegasque citizens.

The function of Governor of the Principahty is
abolished, being replaced by that of Minister of State :
this minister represents the prince in all circumstances,
and presides over the various assemblies or councils. The
prince appoints three functionaries, who might be called
Cabinet Ministers : one for the Home Office, another for
the Treasury, and a third for the Public Works Depart-
ment. These three, with the Minister of State, the First
President of the Court of Appeal and the Procurator-
General, constitute the Council of State. This body
frames laws and ordinances and prepares the annual
Budget, all of which are submitted to the prince.

Universal suffi'age is granted, and all Monegasques
may vote for the election of a National Council, consisting
of twenty-one members appointed for four years. The
council is to meet twice a year, and oftener if necessary.
It can be dissolved by the prince on the advice of the
Council of State, but new elections must be held within
three months. Though the initiation of laws belongs to
the prince the council can demand that the prince shall
propose a law they desire to see pronmlgated. In the
event of the necessity arising for the imposition of direct
taxation this could not be done without a vote of the
National Council. Thus it comes about that some

THE NEW CONSTITUTION 233

Monegasques are agitating in favour of taxation. On the
principle that •' he who pays calls tlie tune," they argue
that they will have no real power till they pay for it. Yet
though they do not pay, the National Council is per-
mitted to discuss and criticise the expenditure on public
works, fine arts, schools, the hospital, health and charity
departments. Apart from the National Council, three
municipalities are created for the three communes —
Monaco, the Condamine and Monte Carlo.

The National Council has now met several times, and
of course it complains that its powers are not sufficiently
extensive. The trouble is that the population, as a whole,
has never been taught the duties of citizenship, the sense
of public responsibility has not been inculcated during
childhood ; and the chief object-lesson received is that the
casino has made an immense amount of money, therefore
the Monegasques think they also should be able to make
much money — it is a demoralising influence. Then there
is the further complication that the vast majority of the
population, though foreigners, have to be considered.

At first, when the Monegasques desired to have
a voice in the government of their own country, the
population of the principality, though in the main
foreign, looked on benevolently. But now the situation
has changed. The handful of Alonegasques want to have
a Budget ; they want to impose direct taxes on the vast
majority of residents who are not Monegasques. These
latter see no ad\antage to be gained by paying the taxes
from which they have always been exempt. Why should
they pay merely to allow a very small minority of fellow-
inhabitants to enjoy the power and prestige of manipulat-
ing a Budget? VVhy should a rich majority create a
Budget for the advantage of a poor minority ? The
Monegasques constitute but one-twelfth of the population,
and of course the eleven-twelfths of the inhabitants do not
see matters in the same light. The complication is due
to the difference of nationalities. A council dealing
purely with municipal affairs might be elected by every

234 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

resident, whatever his nationality, Hke the Sanitary Board
at Tangiers. Each voter at Tangiers, however, contributes
towards the expenses incurred by the Board he elects.
But why have such an international Board or ISIunicipal
Council at Monaco when there is no need of making any
payments ? If it should ever be necessary to impose taxes
then it will be time enough to speak of electing a
municipality to represent not one-twelfth but the whole
of the population.

In the meanwhile, so long as the prince and the
casino do all that is necessary, the foreigner, who conies
to the principality to make money rather than to attend
to politics, is quite satisfied with his irresponsible position.
He enjoys living in a country where there is no political
squabbling: he has enough of politics at home. On the
other hand, it is quite easy to understand that the native
Monegasque, who is at home, should feel humiliated to
think he had no voice whatsoever in the concerns of his
own native country. So efforts are being made to satisfy
the Monegasque without imperilling the foreigner : not an
altogether easy task.

CHAPTER XVII

THE POLICE

ANEW treaty now allows the Monegasque police
to pursue and arrest fugitives over the frontier
line on condition that they are immediately given
over to the French police. Quite recently a criminal might
escape by running perhaps only a few hundred yards. This
might carry him over the border and into France. Here
he could enjoy breathing-time, safe in the knowledge that
formalities must be gone through before the French police
took up the matter and continued the pursuit the Mone-
gasque police had begun. This is one of the reasons why,
apart from the desire to avoid scandals and disturbances,
the Monegasque police preferred prevention to punish-
ment. It is quite natural that Monte Carlo should attract
all sorts of criminals, more especially those of the pick-
pocket persuasion. The play is for cash. Cheques and bills
are of course not accepted, nor are counters used. The
players must have ready money, which they generally put
in their pockets, so that it is easily accessible to the pick-
pocket as well as to themselves. Very large amounts are
thus loosely carried. If during the season a census could
be taken of the ready cash and bank-notes carried by those
present, the amount per head or the average per cent,
would be greater than could be found in any other spot
in the world. In bonds, shares, cheques, bills, etc., larger
sums are brought to a stock exchange or leading market,
but the thief cannot easily dispose of these securities. He
likes bank-notes, or, better still, gold, and these abound at
Monte Carlo ; they fall in glittering cascades upon the
tables.

23.5

236

MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Many thousand persons enter the gaming-rooms in the
course of a single day. A large proportion have their
pockets well filled, at least on arrival. Besides, if the
enterprising pickpocket is afflicted with doubts and
blessed with patience, he has only to watch till he spots
the rare player who is satisfied to leave the tables while
still the winner of a good round sum. It is true that, when
the pickpocket is watching the players, the police are
watching the pickpocket ; but, like the game which
attracts thief and thief-catcher, with uncertain results.
There is a good tale told of a detective set to w^atch a
notorious pickpocket who had gained admission to the
gaming-saloons. The detective kept so close to the thief
that he never discovered anything ; but this proximity
provided the thief with an excellent opportunity of safely
stealing the detective's scarf-pin ! There is one thing,
however, to be said in favour of the criminal class fre-
quenting Monte Carlo : they are quite worthy of the other
classes which make a point of visiting this fashionable
resort. We have no vulgar " area sneaks " here. The milk-
can may hang outside the door of house or flat and no one
will condescend to steal the milk. Petty larceny is well
and good for London suburbs and other commonplace
abodes. On the contrary, the Monte Carlo thief is difficult
to catch because he is such a refined and high-class
personality that the police hardly dare venture to arrest
him, however politely.

The headquarters of the police at Monaco occupies
part of the Government House. It is not called the Pre-
fecture of Police, but bears the title of Public Safety —
Surete Puhlique — and its chief is M. Joseph Henri Simard,
JDirecteur de la Sxirete. Now M. Simard is the proud
owner of Max, the wolf-like dog of Gronendael breed,
which has been carefully trained as a police dog. At the
brilliant international Dog Competition held in the Con-
damine during the spring of 1911, I had seen this dog win
prizes by reason of its irresistible ardour in devouring the
padding protecting the limbs of a very honest individual

PREVENTIVE MEASURES 237

dressed to personate a villainous apache. In 1912 he was
again equally successful. On the occasion of my first visit
to M. Simard, he happened to enter the Government
Offices a few yai-ds in front of me, and I watched with
pleasure the joyful bounds of his beautiful dog as it
played about while following its master. When I entered
M. Simard's private office. Max sprang to its feet and,
with dignified deliberation, strode up till its nose was within
an inch of my leg. A studious sniff followed; then, standing
still but watchful, without any fuss, show of teeth or
barking, it gave just one low but emphatic growl. There
was no mistaking the dog's meaning, and I felt myself as
much a prisoner as if handcuffs and manacles had been
affixed to my limbs. Fortunately a friendly word from its
master sufficed ; the dog wagged its tail and returned to
its usual post of observation under the office-desk at JNI.
Simard's feet.

Having explained the object of my business, I was
referred to M. Theotime Farine, whose special business it
is to watch over the people who visit the principality. As
a detective of no ordinary talent he must have rendered
eminent service to the Russian Imperial family, for he has
received both orders and decorations from Russia. With
M. Farine, I was soon plunged in an interesting conversa-
tion. The police of Monaco, he explained, pride themselves
on their elaborate organisation and practice of preventive
measures. Their great object is to be so thoroughly
acquainted with all swindlers, sharpers, pickpockets and
similar gentry as to render their lives unendurable from
the moment they enter the principality. The detectives
so dog their footsteps that in alarm they depart without
attempting to steal anything. On such occasions the police
will spend the whole night watching in the hotel where
the suspected person has taken a room, and thus the thief
is sometimes caught in the act. There are police agents
who have been living in the principality for so many years
that they have become familiar with the faces of nearly
all the regular frequenters. This is most useful, as it

238 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

prevents a great deal of weary and futile watching. Still,
much depends upon hazard, for there is a constant flow of
new-comers whose features cannot be known and who are
probably very honourable people.

Detection is rendered more difficult because it is the
aristocracy of the criminal classes who frequent Monte
Carlo. The visitor of good birth and breeding need have
no apprehension. His refined senses will not be offended
in any way. He will be robbed with the utmost courtesy,
and by some very elegant, well-conducted and wealthy
person. Indeed, one of the best chances of catching a
thief is the probability that he will overplay his part. His
luggage will be just a little too good and expensive, or
he will wear rather too much jewellery. Of course these
ingenious adventurers go to winter quarters in the most
expensive style and by the dearest route. Only very rich
people can aiFord to rival the Riviera sharper and thief in
his mode of travelling. Thus may we rest in peace. There
is in such facts a merciful dispensation. Only those who
can afford the loss are likely to be robbed.

Of late years it has been the fashion among this class
of criminals to adopt American manners, perhaps because
some of the boldest and most skilful thieves actually
came from the States, following those of their countrymen
who had "struck oil." Early in 1911 the police arrested
an American who frequented very good society and had
put up at one of the best hotels at Nice. On opening his
luggage there were found a complete and most scientific
burglar's kit, two trick roulettes and packs of marked
cards. Not only are these light-fingered gentlemen
perfectly dressed, they are also very courteous. Some of
them are Avell read, and ingratiate themselves both by
their obliging manners and their entertaining conver-
sation. However, this is not a sufficient reason to justify
the haughty, insulting indifference English travellers are
apt to display towards the stranger who attempts to be
polite and agreeable. Politeness is a virtue, honesty is a
virtue ; and though we may suspect the absence of the

FASHIONABLE THIEVES 239

latter that is not reason enough for exiling the former.
It will be time to turn a cold shoulder on a fellow-
traveller when he suggests a game of cards or any other
course involving a money issue.

When these fashionable thieves reach their hotel, and
it is generally one of the very best and most expensive
in the place, the difficulty of recognising and convicting
them only increases. Just as they wear elegant clothes,
have the best trunks and the most valuable jewellery, so
also are they provided with a plentiful supply of money.
Their first care is to interview the proprietor or manager
of the Iiotel and ask him to keep their money in his safe.
As this is a usual custom, assent is readily given, and the
new arrival hands over such a large sum as entirely to
disarm all suspicion. M. Farine assured me that he had
known professional thieves deposit in the hotel safe as
mucli as £1000. There was one case of a pickpocket who
gave his hotelkeeper 160,000 francs, or £2400. When the
police come to inform the hotel manager that there is a
thief among his guests, the warning is naturally greeted
with expressions of surprise and incredulity. Yet if this
warning were not given the manager of the hotel, by
answering favourably questions asked concerning his
lodger, might help the rogue to effect his purpose. When
a chance acquaintance is made in travelling or at an hotel
one of the few methods available of obtaining some
information about the stranger is to inquire if he is
known at the hotel. The manager may then reply that
though he does not know much about his guest, still as
he is a very well-conducted person and has deposited a
large sum in the hotel safe there is no reason to doubt his
respectability. On the other hand, if the hotel manager
has been put on his guard by the police, he will be careful
not to say anything that might be construed as a recom-
mendation wliich would help the thief to impose on his
victims.

Some of these hotel " rats," to use the graphic French
term, have all sorts of pincers with which they can turn a

240 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

key that is on the other side of the door. They can then
enter and help themselves. If the occupant is asleep they
will increase the profundity of his slumbers by the aid of
chloroform. On leaving, the thief with his admirable tools
locks the door again. Next morning the victim awakes
and finds his door locked from the inside just as he had
locked it himself before going to bed. Evidently no one
has come in by the door, nor indeed in any other way.
There have been no burglai-s this time, for everything is
in exactly the same position as on the previous evening,
and there were several objects lying about — a gold watch
perhaps — which would be worth stealing but which have
not been touched. It is perhaps much later in the day that
the pocket-book chai'ged with bank-notes is missed. What
has happened ? One thing seems quiet clear : no robbery
was committed in the hotel. The door was locked in the
evening and it was still locked in the morning. There is
not a scratch or a mark anywhere to reveal the entrance
of a thief, and there were so many other things that
might have been stolen but were not tampered with. The
book with the notes, it is more natural to suppose, was
lost, dropped or snatched out of the pocket when its
owner was aM'ay on some excursion or had reluctantly
consented to participate in the gathering of a rather
mixed but jovial company, where, however, he had enjo3'^ed
himself mightily. Then pockets are so easilj^ picked in the
crowd round the gambling-tables. At the hotel obviously
nothing was lost or stolen, and the one person the police
suspect has given the most absolute proof that he is a
man of means.

That is why the police set detectives to watch at night
in the hotels, even at the risk of terrifying some inmate
whose suspicions will be awakened by seeing a stranger
loitering in the passages. Thus the detective runs every
risk of being mistaken for a desperate burglar, and may
consider himself fortunate if some amateur defender of
law and order does not take a shot at him with a revolver.
Desperate crimes attended with bloodshed are, however,

THEFTS WITH VIOLENCE 24

very rare in the principality. In 1907 there was the
celebrated Gould affair, when a lady was murdered and
cut into pieces by her friends and an attempt made to
get rid of the body by putting it in a box.

The next notorious theft with violence took place at
five o'clock in the afternoon on the 28th of December 1911.
By eight o'clock that same evening the three men con-
cerned were arrested. They had entered the apartment of
a beautiful Italian actress named Signorina Liona, sprung
on her ser\ant, treated her with some violence and left
her securely bound and fainting on the floor. The men
made off with some money and a large quantity of very
valuable jewellery. Part of this, and the jewel-box, were
buried in the sand on the Larvotto beach. The servant,
restored to her senses, was able to give so clear a descrip-
tion of the three men that two of them were arrested in
the principality shortly after they had perpetrated the
crime. The third managed to get as far as Vintimille,
Here, however, he had to wait some time for a train, and
strolled about in the streets. A Monegasque detective,
who was watching, and who had received by telegraph a
full description of the crime and the criminals, thought he
recognised the man. He at once asked the Italian police
to interrogate the stranger, who was accordingly invited
to step into the police office. Here he gave such satis-
factory answers that he was about to be released when
the Monegasque detective noticed that he had never taken
off his cap. Attention having been drawn to this, the
stranger was told to remove his cap ; on his doing so
some jewels fell on to the floor. He was at once
arrested, but his trial did not take place till the 22nd
of May 1912, at Oneglia, in Italy. In the meanwhile
his brother, who had participated in the crime and was
imprisoned at Monaco, committed suicide in his cell,
on the 1st of .lanuary 1912. Perhaps it was on this
account that a plea of insanity or irresponsibility was
set up. At any rate, the Italian court acquitted their
prisoner. The important and notable feature of the affair

242 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

is the rapidity with which the culprits were arrested. The
whole of the jewels also were recovered ; not a single thing
was lost.

Crimes with violence are extremely rare in the
principality. There may be quarrels accompanied with
violence among Italians, but these are honest if hot-
tempered individuals. The police place the greatest faith
in ostentatious shadowing. As already stated, when a
criminal finds he is watched at every turn he generally
goes away. It is easier to prevent a crime than to capture
the criminal after it has been perpetrated. But the police
have no light task. An enormous number of people come
into the principality. Many of them — the majority of
them — are not strangers but neighbours, coming from the
outskirts, from Nice, Menton and other places. They will
return home the same evening, and may be back again
in the principality the next day. Nevertheless, however
numerous the cases of duplicating may be the fact remains
that, coming by train, tramway or other means of loco-
motion, the persons entering the principality during the
year 1911 numbered 1,587,130. How is such a crowd to
be adequately watched ?

According to an official report giving a summary of
legal proceedings during the ten years from 1898 to 1907,
there were 4 convictions for murder during this period,
and altogether 34 convictions for serious crimes entailing
heavy penalties. There took place 11,229 prosecutions,
most of them for insignificant minor offences, such as
letting off a squib in the streets, blocking the thorough-
fare, singing at night, dropping something out of a window
and infringing various administrative regulations. It is
interesting to note that of all these prosecutions 8459
were directed against Italians, 1885 against French, 566
against Monegasques, 185 against Germans, 51 against
Swiss, and only 31 against British subjects, though they are
numerous in the principality. The Russians came in for
23 prosecutions, and other nationalities not mentioned
for 29. There is not the slightest doubt, and the figures

o
o

PERSONAL SECURITY 243

quoted testify to the fact, that the greatest personal
security is enjoyed by residents in the principaUty. This
indeed is one of its attractions, and many people en-
deavour to make a home on this beautiful spot because
they feel so safe and well guarded.

CHAPTER XVIII

MONACO, 3IEDICAL AND SANITARY

THE greatest, the most legitimate claim to pre-
ference Monaco can make is its climate. The whole
of the Riviera from San Remo to Cannes, and
again, but farther on, Hyeres, adduce identically the same
reason as their justification in taking the title of winter
stations. The JNIaritime Alps or offshoots from this great
mountain-range protect all these places from the cold
northerly winds, though here and there, maybe, a gap cut
by a river lets some cold wind through and makes things
uncomfortable. There is no such river in the principality.
Direct to the north, and quite close at hand. Mount Agel
rises to a height of 3770 feet. An offshoot of this mountain
to the north-east passes above the romantic village of
Roquebrune to advance some distance out to sea and
form the Cap Martin. On the other side of Mount Agel,
toward the west, there are lower mountains, but no in-
terruption in the succession of protecting hills. First comes
the battle mountain. La Turbie, with its Augustan trophy
built at an altitude of 2620 feet, and then the Tete de
Chien, 1880 feet, terminates the amphitheatre which, with-
out any break, shelters the principality from the cold
northern winds. The mistral, it is true, blows in spite of
all this shelter, but by the time it has leapt over the lofty
peaks and has been deflected down on the other side it
has lost much of its rude violence. It comes to carry away
the dust, to oxidise and purify its particles by blowing
them about in the blazing sunshine, and to announce that
rain and uncertain weather are over. The mistral is not
an enemy ; it is rather a brusque, boisterous friend which,

244,

MiDwiMKR Sun Bath on thk Casino Tekkace

THE CLIMATE 245

like a spring cleaning, creates alarming discomfort while
rendering genuine service.

The more perfect the shelter, the more likely is the
atmosphere to become oppressive, like the air in a hot-
house ; but, with the exception of the Condamine district
and the Bas-Moulin, the principality escapes from this
inconvenience. The houses are not built on a beach at the
seashore. They are built on the sides of mountains. The
building land available rises to a height of 500 feet, and
there are comparatively few houses at a lower level than
200 feet above the sea. This ensures a constant if slight
circulation of air, which prevents the feeling of depression
and acts as a gentle stimulant. As the subsoil consists
mainly of rock, and is situated on the mountain-side, the
gradient towards the sea is very steep ; we thus obtain
very efficient natural drainage. There are no accumulations
ofstagnant water or of mud. After the severest rainfall the
roads are dry again in a few hours. Thus the principality
is remarkably free from mist and damp. The air is always
exceptionally dry ; and excess of cold or heat is much
more endurable if the air is not moist.

The purity of the air is assured by the immense
uninhabited space occupied by the mountains on the one
side and tlie wide expanse of sea on the other side. These
constitute two inexhaustible sources of germ-free atmos-
phere. The strip of land running between the mountains
and the sea, which man befouls, is so narrow that the
impurities engendered are promptly dispersed by the
constiint admixture of pure air blown in upon it from one
or the other side. Then the enormous volume of water
that bathes the whole length of the narrow principality
throws off in winter some of the heat it has stored in
summer ; while, in the hot weather, on the contrary,
it helps to keep the temperature cool. Thus there is
a summer as well as a winter season, when visitors come
from Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Brazil and other hot places
to enjoy the comparative coolness of the principality.
But we have the reverse to every medal. The more

246 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

attractive the place the greater the number of visitors.
With the increase of popularity comes the danger of
overcrowding. Already some houses have been built
in defiance of the most elementary laws of health. The
back of the lower part of these very lofty dwellings is
so close against the mountain-side that there are some
rooms which can never be reached by nature's disinfectors
— the direct rays of light and sunshine. Human beings
should not be allowed to sleep in such rooms, however
elegantly they may be furnished. The attempt to house
too many people on one spot and other sanitary defects
all arise from the same cause, too much success.

On the other hand, homage must be rendered to the
principality for its activity and readiness to apply sanitary
measures and reforms. In this it has often given a precious
example to the entire Riviera. Before the necessity of
drainage was appreciated in this part of the world
attempts were already made to construct sewers in
Monaco. Here the narrowness of the streets and their
rocky foundations made this work of cutting down into
the solid stone, which was begun in 1885, very difficult
and expensive. At that time, of the 68,000 houses which
Paris then possessed, only 1100 were drained direct into
sewers, and might, in that respect, be considered in a
satisfactory condition. By 1894 the principality adopted
the English water-carriage system of draining everything
into the sewers. The abolition of cesspools and other such
abominations was therefore decreed and enforced. In the
course of a few years, some fifteen miles of sewers were
built. For the low-lying districts (to prevent draining into
the port) Shone ejectors were installed, being placed in
the Condamine to raise the sewage to a higher level so
that it could reach the main outfall at Fontvieille. This
English method has been working automatically in the
Condamine all day and all night for now fourteen
years without ever getting out of order. A technical com-
mission, recently appointed to investigate the condition
of the drainage, gives high praise to the wonderful

THE DRAINAGE 247

manner in which this system has stood the test of
years.

The report of tlie commission on the state of the
sewers is a very disconcerting document. In a word,
the principahty has altogether outgrown its system of
drainage. The sewers are now too small, they overflow
or burst and there is no efficient ventilation. Without
entering into details of an unsavoury description, it may
be said that everyone knowing anything about the subject
readily admits that a new scheme must be devised to
meet the altered state of affairs due to the great increase
of population. This, there is no doubt, will be taken in
hand at an early date ; and, in the meanwhile, it cannot
be said that the principality is properly drained. Such
is the consequence of too much or too rapid success. A
few years ago Monaco had the reputation of being the
best-drained place on the Riviera. But if what is invisible
within the sewers is now in an unsatisfactory condition, the
surface cleaning or scavenging is perfect. Nowhere in the
world would it be possible to find cleaner, better swept
and watered streets, paths and public gardens. The
principality first on the Riviera employed a destructor
so that all the rubbish and household refuse should be
consumed by fire as soon as collected. The Horsfall system
of Leeds was installed at Fontvieille, and here 56 cubic
metres of refuse can be reduced to ashes in a day. (A
cubic metre is rather more than 35 cubic feet.) The
heat engendered exceeding 900° centigrade, it is utilised
to cremate carcasses, condemned meat and other obnoxious
organic matter. Little or no smoke or smell results, and
the principality is promptly freed from rubbish which
if allowed to accumulate soon becomes dangerous.

The disinfector is not, as is often the case, near the
destructor, but just outside the hospital. In respect to
the disinfection of clothes, bedding, etc., the principality
is ahead not only of its neighbouring winter stations but
of great countries, particularly of England. There are two
things we do not yet possess in England ; first, com-

248 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

pulsory notification of pulmonary tuberculosis, which
is still optional ; second, compulsory insurance against
disinfection. If a hotel or lodging-house keeper has to
pay for the disinfection of a room occupied by a tenant
notified as suffering from an infectious or a tuberculous
disease, he may occasionally save his money by not
fulfilling this duty. In the principality the authorities
are not satisfied to incur this risk. For all the poorer
inhabitants they disinfect gratuitously ; on the hotel and
lodging-house keepers compulsory insurance is imposed.
Whether they have cases of infectious diseases or not,
they all pay a fixed sum per annum, and the premises are
disinfected whenever necessary without any further charge.
Nor can this be considered a burden, for the sum levied
only amounts to one franc per annum per bed. Thus
there is no money to be saved by not obeying the law.
It would be a great advantage to the public at large
if some similar system were applied in all countries. A
special cart takes away the bedding, curtains, carpets,
clothes, etc. The room itself is disinfected with formol ;
and there is a specially trained staff of disinfectors.

Again, and in this the principality should be more
widely imitated in England, and certainly in the
United States of America, the Sanitary Authorities do
not entrust their meat-supply to the tender mercies of
private butchers. No private slaughter - houses are
sanctioned. A municipal abattoir has been constructed,
well away from any dAvellings or general traffic. It is
situated under the Oceanographic Rluseum on a narrow
ledge of rock just over the sea and at the far extremity
and below the town of Monaco. Purified by the sea-winds,
and placed in this isolated spot the abattoir can incon-
venience no one. Here veterinary surgeons, paid by the
Government and having no interest in the trade, are ever
on the watch to see that the animals are healthy and the
meat wholesome, and that there is no cruelty. Indeed,
throughout the principality the prevention of cruelty
is strictly enforced, except with regard to pigeon-shooting.

THK KXlKKMirv OK THK MONACO KOCK

STATE SANITARY CONTROL 249

There are also very severe laws concerning the constant
inspection, entailing the right of entry, of private stables,
so that unhealthy and unhappy conditions for animals are
not allowed. Needless to say the control of food, and
especially of milk, is becoming more and more rigorous.
Those dealers who bring in milk from outside the
principality must also bring twice a year a certificate
from a veterinary surgeon showing that their cows are
in good health. This surveillance giv^es rise to many
prosecutions and condemnations ; sentences of imprison-
ment as well as tines are unhesitatingly inflicted. Any
false statement on a label is also severely punished.

The water-supply is in a state of transition. A large
portion of the drinking water comes from the same supply
as that drunk at Nice. This is the water of the V(^subie,
and of late it has been sterilised by the introduction of
ozone. But a local water-supply is collected in the princi-
pality. No fault has been found with it, though in these
days the fact that water is pure when examined is not
considered a sufficient guarantee. There is no knowing
when or how it may get contaminated. Therefore before
delivering this water to the consumer it is now proposed
to ensure its purity by submitting it to the action of the
ultra-violet rays.

Another admirable institution which exists in Paris,
Bordeaux and several French towns, as well as in the
principality, is the Casier Sanitaire. The Sanitary Authority
has for every house a cas-ier, or small case or portfolio. In
this is placed a plan of the house, giving its sanitary
services, a description of the number of rooms, cubic space
and other details, such as the nature of the water-supply,
or of the trades, if any, carried on inside. In time there
accumulates in the casier the sanitary history of the
house. When anything happens a sheet of paper is dropped
into the casier, and the paper by its colour tells what
has occurred. Particulars of deaths, diseases notified, dis-
infection carried out, with dates and details, are all to be
found in the portfolio. Placed in dictionary order, the

250 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

sanitary history of any one house can be ascertained in a
moment, and the sanitary authorities are thus precisely
informed before they take action. These sanitary house
passports, as they are sometimes called, are most practical
and useful, and when once in working order save much
time, trouble, and not a few errors. What, however, is still
needed is a better and more scientific method of house
inspection. The condition of the air inside the sewers has
never been analysed, and there are no efficient means of
testing whether the house drains are airtight. In a word,
the population has not yet been educated to the point of
understanding how great is the danger of allowing air from
the sewers and drains to enter dwellings. Mere outside
cleanliness does not suffice : sometimes it is dangerously
deceptive. One very good thing has been done during the
year 1912. The water cistern of nearly every house in the
principality has been inspected. Regular inspection is
the next best thing to total abolition. Of course the water
should come direct from the main and not be stored in
a cistern for mice and birds to fall in, get drowned, and,
decomposing with other organic matter, pollute what
would otherwise be a pure water-supply. Some houses in
the principality have done away with this dangerous
contrivance and do get their water direct from the
main.

One of the most notable sanitary features of the
principality is its Model Hospital. It was inaugurated
in 1902 by the prince, who was then accompanied by
the Conference of the International Association of the
Medical Press. This is a body of severe and expert critics,
but no fault was found and much praise was bestowed. It
was described in The Lancet at the time ; and in May
1911 the result in the treatment of patients was analysed.
From this it appears that during the first year 78 opera-
tions of major and 20 of minor surgery were performed ;
2 deaths resulted, 1 only being the consequence of the
operation. By 1909 the reputation of the hospital had so
spread that there were 204 major and 44 minor surgical

MONACO'S MODEL HOSPITAL 251

operations performed, resulting in only 6 deaths. During
the first seven years there were 868 major and 200 minor
operations. Of these 1068 patients operated upon, 23 died
in consequence of the operation they had undergone, and
30 died from some other cause. Thus the avei'age total
mortality, calculated on seven years' experience, resulting
directly from operations, did not amount to more than
2'1 per cent. Taking more recent figures given since the
publication of The Lancet's article, the hospital staff
in 1911 performed 267 operations, and there were only
3 deaths resulting from the operations and 11 deaths
from other causes ; so that 253 patients were cured.
This means an operation mortality of 1 •! per cent, and a
general mortality, including the direct effect of operations,
equal to 5 per cent. If these more recent figures be added
to those collected since the opening of the hospital we
have, as the average of nine years, a general mortality of
5 per cent, among patients operated upon, and a specific
mortality due to the failure of the operations of 1"8 per
cent.

It is only necessary to compare these figures with the
statistics published by other hospitals in other parts of the
world to realise the enormous advantage enjoyed by those
patients who have the good fortune to be operated upon in
the Monaco Hospital. The Lancet says : " These favour-
able results are due, not merely to the undoubted surgical
skill displayed, but, according to Dr Cailland's [the principal
operator] own testimony, to the great safety in anaesthesia
resulting from the use of the Roth-Droeger-Guglielminetti
apparatus, to the admirable topographical position of the
hospital, and to the lavish care bestowed on the patients.
Indeed the topographical position of the hospital con-
stitutes in itself a treatment that has proved effective even
in some advanced cases."

On the side of the mountain under the Tcte de Chien
a ledge has been cut into the rock measuring 2800 metres
square. Here, in the midst of trees and flowers, at a height
of 260 feet above the sea, a series of pavilions has been

252 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

built, all facing due south. Cases of tuberculous peritonitis, J

tubercular affection of the limbs and arthritis are simply i

wheeled out and left in the open to be cured by breathing

the saline air and by the penetrating, purifying action of

the direct rays of sunshine. A wing called the Pavilion

Koch has been built expressly for the sunshine treatment

of children suffering from tubercle of the bones. It is the

wholesomeness of the situation that aids the healing of

surgical cases while acting in a specific manner on diseases m

such as these just mentioned. The land and the building, *

without including any furniture, surgical instruments or

fittings, cost £80,000, which, as usual, came out of the

prince's private purse, and he particularly insisted upon

having the best hospital possible without any regard to

economy.

Nor is the hospital intended exclusively for the poor.
There are wards where persons of small means can be
treated for three shillings and fourpence or four shillings
per day, and a pavilion has been built and furnished in
a luxurious style for wealthy patients, called the Villa
Albert. It has its own operating-room, and there is an
English trained nurse. This is a great comfort to British
or American visitors who cannot speak French and fall ill
while in the principality. Especially when an operation is
necessary, nothing can be more trying than to be invalided
in an hotel. But at the Villa Albert, for from eight shillings
to sixteen shillings a day, according to the room selected,
the patient can have every comfort as if in a high-class
hotel, the technical nursing needed, and the attendance
of any physician he chooses to consult. This is indeed
a boon, for hotel servants cannot be expected to give
proper attention to patients. The position is even more
terrible if the visitor contracts an infectious disease. He
then becomes not merely a nuisance but a danger to
all in the hotel or lodging-house where he is residing.
As a rule, in such cases, he is taken off by force to the
common hospital. Now, and higher up the mountain than
the new hospital, a luxurious fever or isolation hospital has

X

H

THE SUN CURE 253

been built. It contains paying wards and private rooms, and
all the modern contrivances, such as glass compartments
for the isolation of children from each other, though all are
under the watch of the one nurse in the same ward.

Consequently the visitor need no longer view with
apprehension the possibility of falling ill when away from
home if he is going to Monaco. Whether suffering from
infectious or other disease, medical or surgical, he can
have every care, every luxury, and an altogether ex-
ceptional chance of recovery at the Model Hospital, which
has been built according to the most modern principles
and regardless of expense. This is one of the institu-
tions Monaco has the most reason to be proud of, and
visitors should not leave the principality without paying
the hospital a visit so as to see for themselves the great
and humanitarian work that has been accomplished.

END OF PAUT I

PART II

CHAPTER I

THE OIUGIN OF ROULETTE

OB\"IOUSLY the fundamental principle of roulette
must have come into existence when humanity
had so far progressed as to make wheels and
organise games of chance. The early Britons may have
turned one of their war chariots over on its side, painted
the upper wheel in different colours and sent it whirling
round. A spear stuck in the ground so that the point
might be near the edge of the wheel would answer very
well as a winning-post. To-day in Greenland a board
serves as a pivot. The players sit round and a revolving
finger-piece in stopping points out the winner. So the
early Briton who backed the colour which stopped
opposite the point of the spear would win the game.
Whether, in the absence of a casino police, the losers
would allow him to carry off the prize is another matter.
In my juvenile days, playing with other children in the
gardens of the Champs Elysees, I was early initiated in
the mysteries of the roulette brought round by the
mdrcluuidcx dc plaisirs. The dear old ladies who thus
announced themselves as merchants of pleasure carried —
and still carry, for they have survived the change of many
a government and dynasty — tin cylinders about three
feet deep and one foot wide. The " pleasures " are kept
cool, dry and crisp inside, for what would be a pleasure
that was not crisp ? It would be like a cracknel that did
not crackle. How sweet they were, how delicately
flavoured, how thin and light ! It was all pleasure and
no food. There was nothing in them to spoil our appetites.
We could consume scores without the risk of a scolding

R 257

258 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

for being unable to eat our dinners properly. Yet they
were quite large ; larger, though hardly thicker, than a
sheet of notepaper, and folded gracefully like the petal of
a giant flower. But before the lid of the cylinder containing
a vast store of these pleasures was removed, a halfpenny
had to be paid, and then the gambling began.

Since there was no wheel to turn, the instrument was
not exactly a roulette. Spikes like pegs standing upright
divided the circumference of the lid into equal compart-
ments, each bearing a number. From the centre we sent a
hand whirling round. It was more like the game the Green-
landers play, but it was a happy game, because we always
won. It would not do to mar the cheerfulness of the Champs
Elysees with sounds of lamentation from the children
who had lost. But we often won only one plaisir, less
frequently two or more, and it was the uncertainty as
to the result which caused all the excitement. Then there
was just one out of the many compartments that re-
presented the gi'os lot. This meant a pile of pleasures,
something altogether beyond the combined dreams of
avarice and greed. When someone did win this big prize,
there was an outburst of delirious joy in that happy child-
land that can only be compared to the demonstrations
which used to take place in the good old days when
players were allowed to break the bank at Monte Carlo.

Perhaps all this was very wicked. Cei'tainly I soon
became a gambler of the worst type, plunging recklessly
so long as my nurse or fond parents provided the half-
pence. Was it very wrong of them to sympathise with me
when I failed to pull off a big number ? Were they by
their loving indulgence sowing tares that would grow
up and choke the good harvest ? If so, how many other
games and joys of childhood must be nipped in the bud !
Indeed, very serious essays have been published de-
nouncing Christmas tree festivities. The children sit
round, excited by long anticipation and the many lights
glittering on the tree ; from the branches hang numerous
presents, and in its little hand each child clutches the

CHILDREN AND GAMBLING 259

ticket bearing the numbei* that determines which of all
these presents it shall receive. Afterwards what envy,
malice and hatred are engendered in the mind of the
children who have not been fortunate and would prefer
what some other child has got. Evidently if the roulette
at Monte Carlo, like its predecessors at Baden-Baden,
Wiesbaden and Homburg, is to be suppressed, then the
strong arm of the law must also cut down the Christmas
tree. If people gamble at Monte Carlo it is entirely of
their own free will ; but before the Christmas tree the
child is absolutely helpless.

The excitement of a lottery, the joy of winning at what
is to all intents and purposes a game of hazard, are forced
upon the child by its parents. It would be preposterous
to expect that children should resist and refuse on moral
grounds to attend Christmas festivities. Yet the mind of a
child is more impressionable than that of an adult. At
Monte Carlo juveniles are rigorously excluded, and adults
must procure a special permission before they can enter
the gaming-rooms. Again, at charity and other bazaars,
and at country fairs, how many wheels are there for holiday
folks to send spinning round in the hope of winning a
large piece of gingerbread, a china dog, or, it may be, a
real live rabbit ? From childhood upwards, in a thousand
different ways, games of hazard have been enjoyed, and are
but rarely prevented. The sermons and denunciations of
moralists, the laws and police have proved equally in-
effectual. Tlie love of getting something for nothing still
prevails. It is always possible to bet in one way or another,
to speculate on 'Change or to invest in risky enterprises
that will yield large profits in the unlikely event of their
proving successful.

The hope of quickly and easily winning by a happy
chance what requires so much trouble to earn has always
acted as a strong temptation, leading too frequently to
disastrous results. In face of this melancholy fact the
obvious but very commonplace attitude to observe is one
of virtuous indignation. Convention bids us vigorously

260 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

denounce gambling as a terrible vice which calls for
immediate suppression. There is also a tendency to forget
that natural instincts, like measles, cannot be suppressed,
though they may be driven inwards or underground, where
they will become far more dangerous. To the thoughful it
is obvious that this " off with his head " policy is no solu-
tion of the difficulty. The decapitated one will none the
less have desired to gamble. To penalise the deed is
useless : it is necessary to destroy the desire. Meanwhile,
until men are guided by a higher ambition than the
excitement of games, it may be of more practical benefit
to bear in mind that the devil or Evil has been well
defined as misdirected energy. But for the energy that
engenders the spirit of enterprise the world would stagnate.
That playing games of hazard is among the least worthy
manifestations of the spirit of enterprise may be readily
admitted. Indeed, as suggested above, it may even be
maintained that, on the contrary, the desire to gamble
arises from a lack of energy, patience and courage. It is
because a man has not sufficient firmness to go forth and
make his way by the accomplishment of some useful woi-k
that he resorts to the easy device of winning money
at games of chance. Probably both explanations are
partly correct. The very timid and unenterprising rarely
become gamblers ; while the more bold and venturous
not unfrequently find the rewards of legitimate industry
desperately slow in coming.

In any case, in all times the more enterprising and less
honest have found surer profit in seeking to ensnare those
who, for whatever reason, resorted to games of hazard.
Thus cheats and thieves early became the associates of
gamblers. But action engenders reaction, and roulette
represents the reaction against robbery. The great
philosopher, divine and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, was
passionately fond of games. Perhaps this was a weakness,
but then one of Pascal's most celebrated sayings compares
man to a reed : " Man is a reed, the feeblest reed in
nature, but he is a reed t/iat thinks " ; and Pascal did think.

BLAISE PASCAL 261

He thought so well that he discovered the laws governing
the weight of air, the equilibrium of liquids, the arithmeti-
cal triangle, the calculation of probabilities, the hydraulic
press and the theory of the cycloid or roulette. From his
very birth, according to Michaud's " Biographie Univer-
selle," Pascal devoted himself to " researches concerning
combinations in games of hazard." His letters, written in
1654, to the mathematician Fermat, on games of chance,
constitute a classic. Then because he wrote a " history of
the roulette or trochoid or cycloid " and a " general treatise
on the roulette and the dimensions of the curved lines
of all roulettes " the impression was engendered that he
invented the roulette used for gambling purposes. But the
word roulette as used by Pascal applies to sometliing that
rolls along like a wheel. The curved line is the line which
a spot marked on the circumference of the wheel would
draw in space as the wheel rolled forward. The proba-
bilities are that the discoveries of this great geometrician
on the laws of chance did encourage the belief that with
a mathematically accurate instrument cheating would be
impossible and the player would then only have to
contend with the laws of chance. The circumference of
the roulette wheel can be divided so as to give to each
division its precise share of the circle.

Roulette realised the honest gamester's ideal. It drove
away the cheat and the thief. Whatever objections there
may be to games of hazard there is still more objection to
stealing and swindhng. Yet even to-day, as in Pascal's
time, if a gambler risks his money on a throw of dice, he
may meet someone Avho uses loaded dice. Should the
player prefer cards, there are any number of cardsharpers
about. Even if he only plays in the most respectable clubs
or in the best society, spelt with ever so big an S, the
presence of royalty itself has not prevented baccarat
scandals. Cheating has been attempted even where there
was the least reason to fear dishonest practices ; in the
palaces of kings as in the lowest gambling hells. Ever
since men have given such subjects a thought, they have

262 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

endeavoured to discover a method or invent an instrument
that would render swindling impossible. The great en-
cyclopaedia, the original encyclopaedia that so powerfully
contributed to bring about the French Revolution, the
encyclopsedia of Diderot and d'Alembert, says in the
second edition : " At the public games held in the hotels
of Sevres and of Soissons, in Paris, roulette was imagined so
that players might risk their money in complete security."
Though roulettes of a sort have existed from time
immemorial, the marvellous ingenuity with which the
numbers are selected and distributed round the Monte
Carlo wheel is a comparatively modern device. Something
similar existed in the seventeenth century. Pascal died in
1662, and soon after his death roulette began to be
recognised as the most honest form of gambling it was
possible to establish. Thus when nearly a century later,
in 1760, it was decided to legalise gambling it was the
game of roulette which found special favour in the eyes
of the police authorities. Efforts, it is true, were made on
previous occasions to bring gambling under police control,
but they had never been successful ; at least, not on a
large scale. History tells us, for instance, that in the reign
of Henri IV. there were fifty gaming establishments
which paid a daily tax to the police ; and the king himself
was a notorious gambler ; though Sully ultimately con-
trived to check this form of royal extravagance. Attempts
were also made to classify the gambling resorts. There
were a few luxurious hells for the rich, and many commoner
places for the poor. Elaborate etiquette, combined with
stately ceremonies, was instituted to keep the former select.
Nevertheless the story is told of a distinguished gambler
to whom some remonstrances were made. Among other
things, he was told that all the patrons of the high-class
saloon he had the privilege of frequenting were honest
people. The player thereupon replied ; " Yes, I am well
aware of this. They are honest people one of whom gets
hanged every week when perchance the law is disposed
to do its duty."

GAJVIBLING AT COURT 263

The court setting the example, simpler folks also thought
it was the proper thing to gamble. Later on Cardinal
Mazarin from Italy introduced new games of hazard and
found in Louis XIV^. a ready pupil. The highest dignitaries
of the Church as well as of the court played, and for large
sums. As an inspiring example of the true spirit of
Christianity prevailing even among the princes of the
Church, it is related that Cardinal d'Este, having invited
Cai-dinal de JMedici to dinner, contrived to let the latter
win at cards some ten thousand crowns. On being re-
proached for playing so badly. Cardinal d'Este replied
that it was poor hospitality to allow one's guests to go
away in a bad humour ; it did not favour the digestion,
and the guests were apt to think they had been made to
pay for their dinner.

Cardinal Mazarin not only himself played but
persuaded the king to allow him to establish numerous
authorised gaming-houses for playing hoca, a game with
thirty chances, including two zeros in favour of the bank.
After a while, the public protested that the bank was
robbing the people for the benefit of the cardinal. The
Parliament of Paris showed its reverence for the cardinal
and its due appreciation of the proceeding by proposing
to enact a law inflicting the death penalty on all who
played hoca. This was a brave threat, but it added zest
to the pleasure and privilege of playing this very game in
court circles. Not only did gambling become more and
more usual at court, but cheating at cards was not
excluded. The great ladies of the court became so abso-
lutely unscrupulous that passwords were invented to
enable them to communicate to each other the amounts
gained by illegitimate means. This was especially the
case at the receptions given by Madame de Maintenon.

For the sake of securing the presence at court of
willing gamblers most disreputable persons were admitted.
Lemontey, a distinguished man of letters, in his essay
on the Monarchical Establishment of I^ouis XIV., gives
the names of several individuals who had been convicted

264 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

of theft and of coining false money, and who were never-
theless received at court when there was any gambling
going forward. The Due de Saint-Simon makes similar
complaints ; and adds that many members of the
aristocracy employed as valets and lackeys soldiers of
fortune " addicted to all the vices, and as familiar with
theft and assassination as with eating and drinking." Thus
it is that Moliere and otlier contemporaneous authors so
constantly represent valets as rogues. These unscrupulous
servants were useful in doing the dirty work of their
masters. No one can read the history of those times
without being impressed by the better management of
modern casinos. For safety and absence of swindling the
twentieth-century casino compares favourably with the
court of the great monarch. The improvement represented
by the methods of which INIonte Carlo is the leading
example can be fully appreciated only by acquiring some
knowledge of the abominations practised in the past. It
is perhaps because the gambling resorts of former times
were appropriately called hells that to-day so many
persons describe IVIonte Carlo as an earthly paradise.

The scandal was so great that in 1691 I^ouis XIV.
found it necessary to take action against these degrading
abuses. He issued a decree punishing the playing of games
of chance by heavy fines or imprisonment for not more
than six months. This threat did not, however, have
greater effect than the stronger fulminations of the Paris
Parliament. A few years later an edict threatened cavalry
officers with the death penalty if caught gambhng.
Nevertheless people still gambled, and under the Regency
the evil was even more widespread. For a short time,
however, the love of gambling was converted by John
Law into a fever for speculation. Tiie Scotsman who, as
Voltaire said, became a Frenchman, the Protestant who
became a Catholic, the adventurer who became a prince,
the banker who became a cabinet minister, carried
everything before him, at least for a season. The
superstitious will be interested in the fact that near Law's

SANCTION ANT) CONTROL 265

offices in the rue Quincampoix there was a hunchback.
This individual reaped a golden harvest by lending his
back to stock-jobbers and others so that they might
write out on it their orders for the purchase or sale of
Law's shares. The luck that hunchbacks bring was there-
fore recognised long before the building of modern casinos,
nor has their popularity died out. There was a hunchback
who frequented the gaming-rooms at Monte Carlo, ^^'hen-
ever anyone ventured to strike his hunch lie quickly turned
round and informed the caressing stranger that his fee
was twenty francs ! In spite, however, of the hunchback
in the rue Quincampoix, the big bubble burst in 1720.
The people, having vented their disappointment by
sacking Law's houses and destroying his carriages,
returned to the gambling hells they had deserted in his
favour.

At last, when Paris was ruled by M. de Sartines, this
celebrated Chief of Police determined to I'egulate what it
had proved impossible to abolish. To his mind, the policy
of organising and controlling that which could not be
prevented was by far the safest course to pursue. There-
fore he authorised the opening of houses for certain games,
notably roulette, and an ordinance to that effect was
issued in 1760. Henceforward games of hazard were only
to be played in licensed places, and all clandestine
gambling hells sternly suppressed. But M. de Sartines was
not anxious to limit and circumscribe the evil. He was
determined to utilise the dynamic force wastefulness and
evil propensities represent, and so canalise and direct them
as to provide the moti\e power needed to accomplish
good works and realise serious economies. In authorising
the opening of a gaming saloon, he not only decreed what
games should be played and what rules should be enforced
but also wiiat was to be done with the money the
gamblers were sure to lose. As it so happened that the
need of more hospitals was keenly felt at that time, he
conceived the admirable idea of employing the money
spent in pleasure for the relief of distress. From that day

266 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

forth it has been the law in France that no one shall
gamble either in a public establishment or on the turf
without first paying a handsome quota for the mainten-
ance of hospitals and the succour of the poor.

In England we impose a direct tax on some un-
necessary luxuries, such as armorial bearings and dogs ;
but, while twelve millions of our population live on or
below the poverty line, we might tax pleasures on
behalf of the poor. In France, on every seat taken at a
theatre a percentage is reserved for the hospitals. All the
gambling in the casinos is heavily taxed for the poor.
No betting on the racecourses is allowed except through
the agency of the Pcui Mutriel, which shares its profits
with the Assistance PuhUque, the administration that has
charge of the hospitals and all forms of poor relief. At
Monte Carlo also the claim is made that by canalising
the evil of gambling the administration of the casino
attempts to direct its effects to a good purpose. Certainly
the people, many of them very foolish people, who have
lost their money at the tables have created far-reaching
prosperity. By gambling elsewhere and in hidden places
the money lost would not be employed to such good
purpose. Of this we may be certain if for no other reason
than that there is nowhere else the same blaze of
publicity. Public opinion is a force that compels even the
reluctant.

Thus M. de Sartines, who first attempted on a large
scale to organise the means whereby good results could
be derived from an acknowledged evil, deserves a place of
honour in the annals of the gambling world. The gamblers
themselves have the best of reasons to cherish his name
with grateful feelings. He not only rendered cheating and
robbery more difficult, and therefore less frequent, but he
supplied to all gamblers this supreme consolation, that
the money they had flung away was not absolutely lost,
for some of it would be employed for the best of all pur-
poses — that of reducing the sum-total of human misery.

It must not be thought, however, that the good

I

GAMBLING AND POOR RELIEF 267

intentions of M. de Sartines were at once realised. A great
many clandestine hells remained open, and so many
scandals occurred tliat Parliament was again forced to
intervene. A law was passed condemning bankers who
kept unauthorised gaming places to be branded with a
hot iron, Hogged, or at least put in the pillory. Thereupon
the foreign ambassadors, profiting by the fact that
embassies are extra-territorial, allowed one or two rooms
to be used for gambling purposes. Instead of the poor of
Paris it was the foreign ambassadors, notably the Prussian,
^^enetian and Swedish envoys, who pocketed a part of the
profits. Among the places where gambling used to be
authorised was the Cafe de la Regence. This cafe still
exists, and ranks as one of the oldest historical caf^s in Paris.
It is situated just opposite the Theatre Fran^ais, and was
one of the favourite liaunts of Theophile Gautier. To-day
it is celebrated for the special excellence of its absinthe,
and as the resort of chess-players and of Scandinavian
visitors. But the greatest centre of gambling was just
opposite, in the Palais Royal. Political changes and revolu-
tions did not affect these places, though, like the cafes,
they were each apt to acquire a special political tone.
At one time there were as many as thirty such establish-
ments in the Palais Royal. The royalist party especially
patronised No. 50. No. 36 was the most respectable, for
no women were admitted and no strong drink served.
There were also armed " chuckers-out " to expel undesir-
ables. When, in 1814, the allied forces occupied Paris
these houses did a great business with the foreign officers.
The Duke of Wellington did not gamble, but his colleague,
Marshal Bliicher, was a constant visitor to No. 154 Palais
Royal, playing very high and expressing his dissatisfaction
because he was not allowed to put down more than £400
at a time.

In many of these places other attractions were provided.
Light refreshments could always be obtained, and very
excellent thougli cheap dinners were generally given twice
a week. Ladies, sometimes ladies of title and distinction,

268 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

were occasionally invited to preside at the tables, and
received fees for doing so. But behind all this gaiety and
dissipation the various governments, as they succeeded
each other, did not fail to make these establishments pay
for the relief of the poor. In Dulaure's great history of
Paris, published in 1821, it is stated that in 1818 the
Government received £280,000 from these gaming houses,
which left them £300,000 net profit. At that time there
were in all seven tables for trenie-ci-nn, nine for roulette,
and one each for passe-dix, craps, hazard and hirihi. Under
the first Revolution, the First Empire and the Restoration
the licensed gambling saloons had continued to prosper.
But after the Revolution of 1830, the end of the
White Terror and the Reaction, a determined agitation
was set on foot, at first merely to clear out the evil
company which the proximity of gambling attracted to
the Palais Royal. But there had been a few suicides,
especially at No. 113 ; and No. 154 was so crowded on
Sundays as to become a nuisance. Debates on these
grievances were held in Parliament, and finally, in 1836. a
law was passed to close every gambling resort on the 1st
of January 1838. Many descriptions have been given of
this last day, and the great crowds that gathered in front
of the more notorious resorts. Outside Frascati's an un-
happy gambler shot himself before the assembled public,
because now that gambling was abolished he had no hope
of winning back his losses. At the sinister No. 113 there
was also a suicide on this last day, that of a workman.

Needless to say, gambling was not really abolished ;
but its worst phase — that of encouraging gambling among
poor men like this ill-fated workman — was suppressed.
Gainbling — that is to say, the form of gambling which
consists of playing at games of hazard — was now in the
main restricted to the better class of private clubs. Here
the majority of members can afford to lose.

I

CHAPTER II

GAMBLING IN ENGLAND

THOUGH thus far a good deal has been said about
gambling in France, this vice was as prevalent in
other coiuitries, and especially in England. History
does seem to show that the endeavour to control,
while tolerating, gambling was first attempted in France.
What was begun in France was perfected in Germany,
and reached its apogee at Monte Carlo. Therefore, in
tracing the evolution which brought about present
conditions, the development of events in France has a
more direct bearing on the subject. This does not, how-
ever, in any way justify a belief that in England we were
less afflicted by such evils. There is any amount of
evidence to the contrary, and recently a comprehensive
summary of the history of gambling, by Mr Ralph Nevill,
was published in a book entitled '* Light Come, Light
Go." Here will be found an account of the vast sums lost
by English gamblers in England. Like the kings of France,
the kings of England were addicted to this vice. At Blyth
House a table used to be preserved on which the Prince
Regent staked and won £40,000 from the celebrated
gambler, Harry Mellish. On one occasion Harry Mellish
lost £97,000 ; another time he won about £100,000. Under
the Georges not only did gambling prevail in more or less
disreputable resorts, but also at Brooks's, at White's, at the
Thatched House, and other high-class clubs.

In private houses gamblers were welcome, though
they did not always constitute a choice company. One of
the dukes of Buckingham, who lived where Buckingham
Palace now stands, used to entertain once a year the
frequenters of a celebrated gambling hell in Marylebone.
269

270 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

The nature of this company may be inferred from the
elegant toast which his Grace solemnly proposed on each
of these festive occasions :

" May as many of us as remain unhanged next year
meet here again."

To-day on this very spot the King of England
drinks to the foreign potentates whom he entertains at
Buckingham Palace.

Throughout the West End of London up to the year
1845 there were an untold number of gambling hells.
These were sometimes appi-opriately called slaughter-
houses. In private dwellings it was also the fashion to
gamble extravagantly. Ladies who lived in St James's
Square were notorious for such entertainments, and in the
course of the eighteenth century the game of E.O. was
introduced. This was a precursor of the modern roulette.
It was a round table with places marked off at the edge
on which to put the stakes. In the centre there was
a roulette or wheel which could be spun round in one
direction while a ball was sent round in another. The
wheel was divided into twenty partitions marked E and
twenty marked O. Two were called bar-holes, and when
the ball fell in these the bank won half and did not pay
the other half. It was the zero of roulette, only there
were two zeros in forty chances instead of one in thirty-
seven, as at jVIonte Carlo. This was considered a great
improvement on dice. Nevertheless when the floor of the
Middle Temple Hall was taken up, close upon a hundred
sets of dice were found. They had fallen through the
chinks in the boards.

In 1797 the Countess of Buckingham, Lady Elizabeth
Luttrell and other leaders of society were prosecuted and
fined at the Marlborough Police Court for illegally playing
games of hazard. During the course of the proceedings
it came out that some of the best families had borrowed
from a money-lender, involved in the trial, £180,000
exclusively for gambling purposes. The Duchess of
Devonshire, in 1805, was publicly credited with losing

GAMBLING ARISTOCRATS 271

£176,000 at faro. Though money is much cheaper to-day,
these are figures that can be compared with the most
extravagant stories and legends of INIonto Carlo. Charles
James Fox, by the time he was twenty-five years old, had
ruined himself with no worthier object than the pleasure
of playing at faro. Sometimes the play ended dramatically.
In 1755 Lord Montford lost his fortune at White's and shot
himself. Sir John Bland lost £32,000 at a sitting, and also
shot himself, selecting for this purpose the road from Calais
to Paris. It is on record that at the Cocoa Tree Club,
in 1780, no less than £180,000 was lost in a week. Thus
large losses, some followed by suicides, were associated
with gambling long before Baden-Baden, Homburg and
Monte Carlo came into existence. I^ord de Ros, Premier
Baron of England, who died in 1837, brought an action
against The Satirist because it had accused him of unfair
play. This event inspired Theodore Hook to write the
following epitaph : —

" Here lies England's Premier Baron

Patiently awaiting the last trump."

It must not be imagined that every gambler lost. Some
few not only won but were wise enough to keep their
gains. Thus Colonel Panton invested the money he won
at a gambling house in Piccadilly. He bought some land
between Leicester Square and the Haymarket, and here
built Panton Street, which bears his name to this day.

It cannot be claimed that there is anything new in
the idea of running a luxurious casino on the products
of gambling. Nor can this be described as something
specially belonging to the Continent. Among many
others who distinguished themselves in ventures of this
description there was a certain fishmonger called AVilliam
Crockford. According to " Doings in London," illustrated
by Cruikshank, he first opened a hell in King Street.
From Lord Thanet, Lord Granville and three of their
friends he contrived to win about £100.000, and soon
possessed the capital necessary to establish the celebrated
Crockford's in St James's Street. This magnificent club

272 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

or casino cost £94,000 for furnishing alone. The chef,
Monsieur Eustach, received a salary of £1200 a year.
In 1827 there were 1200 members, each paying £25
annual subscription. The diplomatic corps was admitted
free. But the members were not respectful. They could
not forget Mr Crockford's original calling in life, and
persisted in naming the palace he had built the
Fishmongers Hall. Yet Mr Crockford was not a snob.
He did not repudiate his origin. On the contrary, he
proudly traced his good fortune back to the selling of
sound and fresh fish, especially shell-fish, at the noted old
fish shop first established just outside Temple Bar in the
reign of Henry VHI. During all his life he preserved
a keen affection for the old narrow wooden house with
its projecting gables and quaint appearance, and would
not allow it to be altered for any consideration.

Mr Crockford engaged Wyatt, the celebrated architect,
to build his club in St James's Street, which was con-
structed in 1827. To-day this building, with some altera-
tions, has been converted into the Devonshire Club. After
Crockford's death neither the club in St James's Street nor
the fish shop at Temple Bar prospered. The latter became
a hairdresser's shop ; then a second-hand book dealer
occupied the premises till they were pulled down to make
room for the new I^aw Courts. The owner of what may
be considered the most successful and important gambling
club ever established in England died in May 1844.
Mr T. Raikes, in the Jmvrnal, thus records the event:

" That arch-gambler Crockford is dead, and has left
an immense fortune. He was originally a low fishmonger
in Fish Street Hill, near the Mommient; then a 'leg'
at Newmarket and a keeper of ' hells ' in London. He
finally set up the club in St James's Street opposite to
A\^hite's, with a hazard bank, by which he won all the
disposable money of the men of fashion in London, which
was supposed to be near two millions."

At his death, however, it was found that Mr Crockford

NAPOLEON III AT CROCKFORD'S 273

left only £700,000, for he had lost a good deal in mining
speculations. Mr Raikes says his end was accelerated by
anxiety with regard to his bets on the Derby. This is
curious and inconsistent. Proprietors of gambling establish-
ments are far too well informed to indulge in gambling.
Indeed it is related that some young friend having once
asked him for advice Mr Crockford replied :

" I'll tell you what it is, young man. You may call
mains at hazard till your hair grows out of your hat and
your toes grow out of your boots ; my advice to you is
not to call any mains at all."

As an example of the luxury and extravagance
prevailing at Crockford's, it is said that the dice alone
cost £2000 a year. A guinea was paid for each pair, and
three new pairs were provided every day ; but apart from
this supply players often called for new pairs of dice in
the hope of changing their luck.

After Crockford's death, the place soon fell to pieces
and lost its reputation. During that time of decadence
an incident occurred that may have contributed to bring
Monte Carlo into existence. In his " Life of Napoleon the
Third," Mr Blanchard Jerrold records that in 1847 the
proprietor of Crockford's was compelled to return to
Prince Napoleon a sum of £2000 "which a cheat had
endeavoured to extort from him in that dangerous
establishment." In a footnote it is stated that this same
proprietor, a successor, but an unsuccessful successor, of
the celebrated Crockford, was so reduced in circumstances
that in 1865 he begged money from the emperor.
Perhaps his unpleasant experience at Crockford's may
have so far enlightened the emperor as to make him
appreciate the more honest methods of administration
established by M. Fran(,'ois Blanc at Homburg. Conse-
quently the emperor did not object when the Homburg
enterprise was transferred to Monte Carlo. The emperor,
it is true, had no legal right to interfere, for Monaco is
an independent principality ; but nevertheless it was very
important to secure his good will. Monaco could not have

274 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

resisted had the French Government thought fit to forbid
gambUng. Such a proceeding might be most arbitrary and
opposed to treaty rights, but no European power would
have drawn the sword to defend, for the sake of M. Blanc
and his roulette-tables, the treaties that guarantee the
independence of Monaco. Fortunately for M. Blanc, the
emperor while in exile in London had seen what
unauthorised and uncontrolled gambling establishments
were like. He was one of Crockford's many victims, and
perhaps this made him look with favour on the safer
methods applied at Homburg. Napoleon IIL knew full
well that if a casino with roulette-tables was properly
managed it would bring wealth and prosperity to the
whole neighbouring country. In Germany, and notably
at Homburg, this had been very conclusively demon-
strated. Yet in no instance had there been such fraud and
cheating as that which the emperor himself had experi-
enced in some of the best but uncontrolled gambling
resorts of England. The newly annexed province of Nice
and the winter stations on the French Riviera, which were
beginning to attract visitors, would all derive enormous
benefit from their proximity to a Homburg transplanted
to the principality of Monaco. On the other hand, it
would be the Prince of Monaco and not the Emperor
of the French who would have to support the blame and
abuse that were sure to be hurled against the casino and
the gambling.

Though British legislature is phenomenally slow to
move, especially when it is a question of interfering with
financial matters, so many persons had been ruined by
gambling that on the 8th of August 1845 an Act to
amend the law against games and wagers was passed.
This law compelled many houses or clubs to close, because
gambling was their chief purpose. Such resorts were,
however, soon reopened ; not, it is true, for games of
hazard such as dice, faro or roulette, but as betting
centres. By 1850 there were some four hundred houses of
this description. Here bets from sixpence and upwards

LAWS AGAINST GAMBLING 275

were taken on races and other events. If the owner made
a bad book he bolted, leaving behind him debts that
sometimes amounted to several thousands of pounds,
like the notorious Dwyer of St Martin's Lane. When in
1851 Miss Nancy, contrary to his anticipations, won the
Chester Cup, Dwyer absconded, leaving debts to the
amount of £25,000. Volumes could be and have been
written describing scandals of this description, and they
might be read with advantage by those persons who feel
inclined to fling stones at the Monte Carlo casino. Frauds
of this character were so frequent that in July 1852
another Act was passed. Its object was the suppression
of betting houses, and it sanctioned the infliction of fines
up to £100, and imprisonment with hard labour up to six
months. Nevertheless to this day there is no difliculty in
backing a horse, while clandestine gambling hells are
constantly discovered and raided by the police in various
parts of the provinces and the metropolis.

Mrs Grundy may frown. Englishmen may pretend to
be proud of British virtue and of British institutions ; but
with regard to gambling we cannot afford to throw stones.
Still less should we venture to sling such missiles at a
principality where there is no Stock Exchange, no horse
racing, no betting, and where neither native nor resident
can gamble ; for it is only foreigners and aliens who are
allowed to approach the closely guarded gaming-tables.
No doubt gambling is altogether bad, but the British,
which of all people is the most prone to hypocrisy, should
be very modest and reserved when speaking of this vice.
In any case the Monte Carlo casino, without the slightest
hypocritical pretence, opens its doors to foreign gamblers
who are rich enough to travel so far for the pleasure of
playing. In England gambling is not restricted to
foreigners, or even to those who can afford to lose. From
the poorest errand-boy up to the plutocrat and the
aristocrat all contrive to back horses, bet on football and
other matches, or to speculate on 'Change. The latter is
probably the most ruinous and disastrous of all gambling

276 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

institutions. During a debate on the Budget in the House
of Commons it was stated that 90 per cent, of the
business transacted on the London Stock Exchange was
of a gambUng character. Among the various speakers, Mr
Markham frankly confessed that he had gambled on
'Change and lost. It seemed to him that these trans-
actions might very well be taxed. The Chancellor of
the Exchequer, however, replied that such a tax would
stop genuine business.

On the 13th of March 1907, Mr Field, in the House
of Commons, asked if the Chancellor were aware that in
transactions on the London Stock Exchange the terms of
the Leeman's Act 7-e bank shares transfers are openly
violated : and whether he would take measures to ensure
that members of the London Stock Exchange should be
required to observe the safeguard imposed by law to
prevent gambling in bank shares. Mr Asquith replied :

" I have no information on the subject ; but the effect
of the Act is merely to invalidate certain contracts if
entered into. If people choose to enter into such contracts
there is nothing to prevent their doing so, but they do so
at their own risk, since these contracts cannot be enforced.
The Act imposes no penalty for entering into such con-
tracts unless there be false entries of numbers and names
therein."

Thus this form of gambling on the London Stock
Exchange is assimilated to other gambling outside where
it is not possible to sue for gambling debts. No attempt
was made in the House to deny the prevalence of gambling
on the Stock Exchange. Then why do so many persons
say it is wicked to go to Monte Carlo and yet are not
shocked when people frequent the city ? If the only
business done on the Stock Exchange were legitimate
business, one-tenth of the brokers now engaged would
suffice. At Berlin, a jobber on the Stock Exchange is
called a sckinder — i.e. " skinner " — and his clients rinder
or " cattle," an allusion to their stupidity. Why are the
" skinned " " cattle " of the Berlin Stock Exchange pre-

THE COMMONS AND GAMBLING 277

ferred to the " shorn sheep " or " plucked birds " of the
Monte Carlo casino ? The latter, in any case, do not pay
so heavy a brokerage and have a much better chance of
winning.

The commission paid in England to the stockbroker
is generally ^ per cent., and A for the "cover system."
This seems much less than the 1^ per cent, brokerage
the zero represents for the simple chances at roulette.
But that does not apply to gambling transactions. The
buyer of £4000 of shares pays | per cent, or £5 com-
mission. It would be a poor business for the broker
if the purchaser kept these shares for several years.
The gambler, of course, proposes to sell again in a few
days, or at most in a few weeks. In the latter event
another commission will have to be paid to the broker.
This brokerage must not be compared with the nominal
value of the shares the gambler never intended to
keep and probably could not have paid for, but with
the actual amount of money produced. At Monte Carlo
the calculations are based, not on the money players may
be disposed to risk, but on what they put on the tables.
The only money the gambler produces on the Stock
Exchange is the sum needed to meet the difference
between the purchase and sale price of the shares. It is
this difference which constitutes the speculation, the bet
or gambling deal. If the brokerage paid be compared with
this latter sum it will reach a much higher percentage
than that charged at Monte Carlo. In " Chance and Luck "
Mr Richard A. Proctor estimates that the iV per cent,
commission paid on "cover" transactions practically
amounts to 6^ per cent, on the speculator's money.
Further he very conclusively demonstrates how rarely
such speculators clear any profit.

The risk incurred at roulette is mathematically defined,
and never varies by the smallest conceivable fraction. On
the Stock Exchange so great are the interests which
engender misrepresentation, the booming of those who
wish to sell, the slanderous abuse of those who want to

278 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

buy, that by far the safest plan is to speculate in the
opposite sense to the advice received. Monte Carlo, like
the Stock Exchange, may tempt to gambling, but it does
not ci'eate an atmosphere of misrepresentation. No amount
of lies will produce a series of reds or even of blacks.

The construction of the Monte Carlo roulettes renders
cheating absolutely impossible, though faked roulettes have
been employed in secret gambling hells. The " Rules and
Usages " of the Stock Exchange do not prevent all manner
of frauds, and the promotion of bogus companies has
become a fine art. ^Vhen the Water Gas Company came
to grief in 1894 the public obtained some insight into such
proceedings. They learned that brokers in the country
were asked to order three times as many shares as they
required, and promises were made that only a third of
what they asked for would be allotted to them. These
facts were brought before the Lord Chief Justice in
March 1896, and it was then further elicited that the
brokers in league were advised not to sell till after a
special settlement. By this means the shares were cornered
and the price forced up twenty-one points in a month. But
it is not the purpose of this volume to deal with Stock
Exchange swindling, whether British or foreign.

What is called speculation on 'Change — what is, to all
intents and purposes, mere gambling — not only entails a
terrible waste of intelligence, energy and time, but is
the cause of daily ruin and of innumerable suicides. The
author of " The Gambling World " relates, for instance,
that after the great exhibition at \^ienna there was such
a sudden difference in the prices of certain securities
bought and sold on the Vienna Bourse that in the space
of two months there were no fewer than thirty-three
suicides in Austria alone, all being attributed to this
crisis on 'Change. And in England how many suicides did
the Liberator frauds cause ? On that occasion about
£2,000,000 of money disappeared under the very noses
of the directors. Lying prospectuses and cooked balance-
sheets all helped to ensnare the public. About the same

STOCK EXCHANGE GAMBLING 279

time a banking firm collapsed in the city. The loss was set
down at £600,000, and this money had been deposited for
the most part by poor and thrifty people. The head partner
committed suicide, and therefore the Treasury, we are told
by the same author, stopped the prosecution. Why ? The
investors, poor souls, got one shilling in the pound. It
would be interesting to inquire whether any of these
defrauded investors are disposed to sign a petition for
closing the casino at Monte Carlo, or whether they would
prefer that something should be done to exercise a better
and more effective control over the financial transactions
that take place Avithin the historic precincts of the city of
London.

Gambling is undoubtedly an evil, and its suppression
would be a benefit to humanity ; but the most dishonest
and dangerous forms of gambling should be dealt with
first. People must not be ensnared into gambling ventures
under the pretext of bona fide and honourable investments.
Where gambling is practised in the broad daylight, under
immutable and cleai-ly defined conditions that render
deception or cheating impossible, the conditions begin to
differ. When, further, it is found that a large part of the
profits are devoted to the relief of taxation and to the special
benefit of the poor ; and tliat to obtain these profits no
one is tempted to play, no bogus prospectuses are issued
to allure investors ; we may, perhaps, conclude that this
is a form of gambling we can continue to tolerate till
such time, at least, as gambling on 'Change and on the
turf has been definitely abolished.

What is here recorded of France and England applies
to other nations. All live in glass houses, and none can
afford to throw stones. Thus, for example, to take but one
single and recent incident : McChirc's Magazine for
October 1911 publishes an account of the "recall" at
Seattle, written by Mr Burton J. Hendrick. Here the
mayor before his election in 1910 promised to have a
"restricted area" for gambling, prostitution and kindred
social evils. In the execution of this promise, Seattle itself

280 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

became a " restricted area " of vice for the north-western
states. The Northern Club, the great gambUng emporium,
earned 200,000 dollars in fifty-four days : not a bad be-
ginning. One of the largest houses of ill-fame netted for
its proprietors from 10,000 to 12,000 dollars per month.
The chief of the police received ten dollars a month from
each woman in its employ, and as there were nearly a
hundred of them it made a good income. A huge venture
was started called the Hillside Improvement Company,
where the largest home of vice was to contain 250 rooms
with suitable occupants, so as to bring in half-a-million
dollars a year. But the Public Welfare League succeeded
in getting a petition for the " recall " of the mayor
signed by the required 25 per cent, of the electors.
AVomen voters, especially workgirls and shopgirls, being
the principal victims, helped largely. When, as the result
of this petition, a decent mayor and chief of police were
appointed, 2000 or 3000 men and women of the least
desirable description left Seattle.

But enough. No one defends gambling, the directors
of the Monte Carlo casino not excluded. It is all very
well to play when it is only play, but when people lose
more than they can afford it ceases to be play. When
an innocent amusement thus degenerates into gambling
it is universally condemned. Therefore if this can be
restricted or prevented, well and good ; but let there be
no hypocrisy about it, no picking motes out of other
people's eyes and neglecting the beam in one's own. It
w^ould be unjust and bad policy to attack that which
is most honest and best controlled while we have at home
sinks of iniquity that are still untouched.

CHAPTER III

HOMBURG THE CKADLE OF MONTE CARLO

OBVIOUSLY the abolition of public gaming
establishments in France greatly enhanced the
fortunes of the German watering-places on or
near the Rhine. At most of these resorts there were
gaming-tables, and under the pretext of drinking the
waters a large number of people indulged their gambling
proclivities. Even William, the first Emperor of United
Germany, used in his younger days to play at Aix-la-
Chapelle ; and it is related that on one occasion he gave
all his winnings to a distressed officer who was watching
him. But now the French also came to the German
resorts ; not only the gamblers, but bankers with their
roulette-tables and their large capital. Skilled croupiers
trained in prosperous French gambling houses established
themselves on German territory. Nevertheless it requires
men of special genius and enterprise to create what is
now understood by the term casino. Thus, for instance,
the Romans had discovered the virtue of the waters at
Baden-Baden and named the place Civitas Aurelice
Aqiieims. The modern world only began to realise that
there were valuable mineral waters at Baden-Baden when
in 1808 a " Conversationshaus " was opened and gaming-
tables set up. The same may be said of Wiesbaden, where
the Romans also discovered the waters, though they were
not extensively utilised till the Kursaal, with its celebrated
twenty-four Doric columns, was built in 1810. Much may
be said about the beautiful surrounding scenery and the
real benefit to be derived from the mineral springs ;
but neither Baden-Baden nor Wiesbaden would ever
281

282 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

have acquired their modern popularity had it not been
for the enterprise and genius of such men as Benazet,
Dupressoir and other managers who knew how to spend
and pay in a lavish, regal manner. Thus though but
the lessee of the gaming-tables, M. Benazet was
generally recognised as the uncrowned monarch, and
popularly known as le roi de Bade. His personal appear-
ance helped to justify this sobriquet. He had a
commanding presence, jet-black hair, a large, hooked nose,
but his was the Arab, not the Jewish, type. By a strange
idiosyncrasy, which was much noticed and created not
a little amusement, his vanity was concentrated on his
silk stockings, which he never failed to show off.

Aided by his striking personality, but still more by his
personal tact, ]\I. Benazet became a general favourite, and
people, as it were, held their breath when his name was
mentioned. It seemed to spell gold and things that
glittered. He personified all that was comprised in the
name Baden-Baden, and these two words had become
a magic formula. What could success, rewarded by a
holiday, mean, if not a few weeks at Baden-Baden ? The
conversation house, though it had been rebuilt in 1824,
could not satisfy the Oriental conception of luxury that
dwelt in M. Benazet's imagination. Consequently, in 1854,
it was greatly enlarged, with ambitious architectural
developments and most gorgeous decoration. So also at
Wiesbaden, in 1862, was the Kursaal rebuilt in palatial
style, and many other towns sought fortune by establishing
Kursaals with gambling-tables. These flourished more
or less at Schwalback, Kissingen, Ems, Spa in Belgium,
but close to the Prussian frontier, and many other places.
A gaming saloon was opened even at a railway station, at
Kathen, but it acquired such a bad reputation that it was
closed in 1845 by the Duke of Anhalt-Kothen.

While these developments were taking place two
Frenchmen were watching, and wondering whether they
might venture to participate in the tide of emigration
which had carried so many promoters of gambling houses

WATER CURES AND GAMBLING 283

from France to Germany. These were the twin brothers,
Louis Joseph and Francois Blanc. They were born at
Courthezon in the department of Vaucluse, and their
father seems to have had some business connected with
the Bordeaux Exchange. In any case, the two brothers,
while in no wise wealthy, possessed a small capital which
they were eager to invest in some specially profitable
manner. The successful career of M. Benazet and men of
his stamp was to them an enlightening example. Fortun-
ately no one had discovered or thought of Homburg.
This was the more remarkable as it possessed great
advantages ; for the weaker and the more impecunious
the government the easier the negotiations. The Grand
duchy of Baden and the duchy of Nassau, with
Wiesbaden as its capital, were both important princi-
palities, especially when compared with the landgraviate
of Hesse- Homburg.

The landgraviate was created under Prince Frederick I.
in 1622, and the present princely residence was built by
his successor, Frederick IL, better known as the Silver
Leg. It was not till 176G that the Landgrave Frederick
Louis began to call attention to the mineral springs
whicli ultimately became the real and permanent source
of the town's fame and fortune. The landgrave even
succeeded in attracting some German princes to Homburg,
but they were all too poor to be of much use. Greater by
far was the achievement of the next reigning prince, for
he married Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King George
in. of England. The British princess brought with her a
solid £10,000 a year to add to the 20,000 florins which
constituted the Civil List of the reigning sovereigns of
Hesse-Homburg. The brothers of the landgrave had
only 6000 florins a year, and to increase this very modest
income had to serve, some in the Prussian, others in the
Austrian army. Ultimately they or their descendants
fought against each other during the Austro-Prussian War
of 1866. The £10,000 from the British Civil List, a sum
we could ill afford at the time, was the first gleam of real

284 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

prosperity that shone on the landgraviate. Gardens and
walks were laid out ; some old houses were pulled down
and other improvements effected. The people in their
gratitude named their principal spring the Elisabeth-
brunnen, after the British consort of the landgrave. At
last visitors were sufficiently numerous for an official
record to be kept. The first of these documents is dated
1834., and that year there were 155 visitors to Homburg.
Two years later this figure was almost doubled, for 294
visitors went to Homburg in 1836 ; and 1839 saw a still
greater increase, the number reaching 829.

A great change was now approaching : the construction
of railways had begun. The German gambling resorts,
already profiting largely by the abolition of public
gaming houses in France, had reason to anticipate still
greater advantages from the more rapid, more easy and
cheaper mode of travelling promised by the railways. The
brothers Blanc determined to secure a firm footing in
time to benefit by this boon when it came. They had not,
it is true, sufficient capital ; but if luck favoured them at
first their position for the future would be secui'e. They
put on as bold an appearance as possible ; and by good
fortune they had to deal with a new landgrave, who was
much oppressed by the financial difficulties of his little
principality. Larger countries than his had been lifted
out of poverty and insignificance by the presence of a
well-conducted Kursaal ; and perhaps the brothers Blanc
were the right men to effect such a transformation. The
Landgrave Philip gave them permission to establish
gaming-tables, but their slender resources obliged them to
begin in a very modest manner. It was in 1841 that the
roulette wheel spun round in Homburg for the first time,
in a small house close to the Ludovic spring, which is
now used for an institute of mechano-therapeutics.

To this day the old inhabitants of Homburg recall
the advent of the two brothers with their roulette-tables,
regret their departure, and laugh over the many clever
things they did. The modern glories of Monte Carlo shed

THE EDICT OF NANTES 285

a lustre over Homburg. But for Homburg there would
have been no Monte Carlo ; indeed if M. Francois Blanc
had not married a native of the landgraviate it is very
probable that the uninhabited hill of the Spelugnes would
only be known for the caverns after which it is named.
It required the genius of a Francois Blanc to convert
this arid hill of the caves into Monte Carlo. While
indulging in speculations as to what might not have
been, it may be permissible to go a step farther back and
to argue that if Louis XIV. of France had not revoked
the Edict of Nantes there would have been no Monte
Carlo. By this act of intolerance, which bears the date of
1685, Louis XIV^. drove some 300,000 Huguenots out of
France. Many of thein were excellent workers, yet they
were compelled to go and enrich by their labour the
industries of other countries. A few of the fugitives
obtained land and created a small French village on the
outskirts of Homburg. They could not of course remain
French subjects for a century and a half, but they still
retained the French language and many Fi'ench customs.
Among the descendants of these old Huguenot exiles,
occupying a very humble position, in spite of his ancient
lineage, was one Gaspard Henzal. He married Catherine
Stemler, who gave birth, on the 23rd September 1833, at
Friedrichsdorf ( Homburg), to a daughter, duly christened
Marie Charlotte. When this little daughter grew up she
was taught French in memory of her French descent, and
as the brothers Blanc knew very little German they were
glad to accept her services to help in translating and in
housekeeping. Not much time elapsed before she found
means of rendering herself almost indispensable. Being
both clever and good-looking, she ultimately became so
great a favourite that the position was quite compromising.
Attempts were made at separation, with the usual
accompaniment of tears and wild counsels of despair. In
reality, though at first unwilling to admit the fact,
M. Fran9ois Blanc was by this time deeply in love with his
young housekeeper, but feared she was of too lowly a

286 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

position and too ignorant to be his wife. Besides, he was
so much older, and he had two sons, Charles and Camille.
At last, as Mademoiselle Henzal was really very intelli-
gent, and M. Francois Blanc felt he could not cure
himself of his love, he offered to marry her if she would
first go to a High School and be properly educated. These
terms were accepted with enthusiasm, and the future
Madame Blanc profited to the utmost by the education
she received. It was on the 20th June 1854, at the Town
Hall of the Second District [arrondissemerit) of Paris, that
Mademoiselle Henzal was married to M. Fran<,'ois Blanc,
and by her devotion and wise advice she soon repaid her
husband for all the trouble he had taken.

In some respects Madame Blanc showed herself as
capable of advising and of ruling as M. Francois Blanc
himself. Madame Blanc was notably well able to look
into the future, and persistently warned M. Blanc that
gambling would be abolished. In vain M. Blanc assured
her that the Government of Hesse-Homburg had given
him every guarantee ; Madame Blanc as persistently
retorted by inquiring who had guaranteed Hesse-Homburg.
Madame Blanc had the perspicacity to see that such
petty principalities would not last much longer. To her
German unity was no dream but an approaching reality.
The roar of the cannon of Sadowa was not needed to
awaken her to the danger of the situation. Three years previ-
ously — ^that is, in 1863 — M. Francois Blanc had already
secured the Monaco concession, and it was Madame Blanc
who made this choice and insisted that it would be quite
possible to transfer to Monaco the glories of Homburg.
Now, but for the revocation of the Edict of Nantes there
would have been no French Huguenot settlement near
Homburg ready to provide a fascinating interpreter. If
M. Francois Blanc had married someone with other tastes
it is not likely that he would have invested his fortune in
the principality of Monaco. Hence it may be argued that
but for the revocation of the Edict of Nantes it is prob-
able there would have been no Monte Carlo. This may

BEGINNING AT HOMBURG 287

be said with all the more confidence as no one else was
capable of creating the Monte Carlo casino. Several others
had tried before M. Blanc came to Monaco, and had
signally failed.

To return to the fortunes of the Blanc brothei's
and their earlier efforts, it soon became evident that
M. Fran(;ois Blanc was destined to take the lead, for he
showed himself to be an enterprising manager, a profound
financier and an able diplomat. Nevertheless, if luck had
not been in his favour in the first instance, the venture
might have failed for want of capital. Even to this day it
is still related by the old inhabitants of Homburg that at
first all the roulem/x in the till did not contain gold coins.
By holding one end of a genuine joulcmhv and giving the
other end a sharp rap on the table the paper tears in the
middle and the gold pieces drop out. Care was taken, now
and again, to perform this interesting operation so as to
inspire confidence and to conceal the fact that some of
the rouleavx only contained a round piece of wood. The
croupier could easily tell by the weight which were the
real and which the dummy roideamv. When, however,
the winnings began to accunmlate, gold was substituted for
wood, as there was no further need to employ dummies.

This little stratagem on the part of the bank was
innocence itself compared with the fraudulent practices
attempted by some of the players. They also played with
rouleaux, but these were sometimes made with false coins
carefully mixed with lead so as to weigh the same as gold.
To defeat this manoeuvre the bank cut away small portions
of the paper so that a part of some of the gold coins could
be seen. This was soon imitated, real coins being placed
opposite the holes and false ones in the space between.
Thus it came about that the use of rouleaux was entirely
abolished. They were popular in times gone by and very
convenient for manipulating large sums, but they lent
themselves too readily to various forms of swindling.
When there is so much money lying loose on a table it
is not surprising if thieves and swindlers gather round,

288 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

feeling that there surely must be some way of purloining
a little of it.

Among the first visitors to the roulette newly estab-
lished at Homburg there came from the great castle that
overshadows the neighbouring town of Hanau the Kur-
furst von Hessen. This gentleman was an all-important
local notability, somewhat impetuous and reckless. He
soon contrived to lose 100,000 gulden at roulette, and this
was the commencement of the Blanc brothers' good fortune.
It was believed at the time that this sum was larger than
the original capital they were able to invest in the venture.
Now there would be no difficulty in replacing the wooden
rouleaux by real gold. Yet the advantage thus gained at
a time when it was most needed was soon to be converted
into a serious and permanent loss for the town of
Homburg. The Kurfiirst von Hessen, having gambled
away all his disposable cash, applied to the proprietor of
the gambling concession for a loan, so that he might win
it back again. But IVIessieurs Blanc did not see the matter
in quite the same light. They were, on the contrary, con-
gratulating themselves on having bridged over the great
difficulty and peril of commencing a business with in-
sufficient capital. They had enough experience to know
that a gambler never wins his money back ; for, however
lucky he may be, he always continues playing till the luck
changes and he once more loses everything. How then
would the Kurfiirst von Hessen repay the money he
proposed to borrow ?

These were the days when all princely families that
respected themselves thought they were in honour bound
to imitate the palace of Versailles by having an orangerie.
Orange-trees to bring out in the garden during summer,
to lock up in a hothouse in the winter, were pre-eminently
the fashionable mark of distinction. In his castle at Hanau,
the Kurfiirst von Hessen had a very fine portable orange
grove, and the Blanc brothers rightly concluded that these
orange-trees would impart an air of distinction to the
casino they already thought of building. The ultimate

VON HESSEN'S ORANGE-TREES 289

result was that the aristocratic orange-trees were pledged
for a loan of vulgar money, and this to the extent of
40,000 gulden. In spite, however, of such reinforcements
in hard cash, the Kurfiu-st von Hessen never won back
his 100,000 gulden, and died before he was able to repay
the loan on the orange-trees. His successor was very
angry. His pride of estate was sorely wounded by the
absence of the orange-trees. They were the heirlooms of a
great and aristocratic family, and were never intended to
grace the approaches of a roulette-table. The new Kurfiirst
von Hessen proudly declared that he meant to have the
orange-trees back, and despatched a haughty message to
that effect. A very polite reply was returned. The casino
administration was charmed, and most willing to restore
tlie orange-trees, as soon as the 40,000 gulden advanced
were repaid. The negotiations now degenerated into a
quarrel, for as the Lord of Hanau had neither money nor
law on his side, all he could do was to use strong language
and swear vengeance.

Unfortunately an early opportunity of revenge
occurred. Railways were now being constructed in all
directions, and it was proposed to connect Homburg with
Frankfort by rail. Such a line would have to pass through
a part of the Kurfiirst von Hessen's estate, and here the
opportunity of revenge presented itself. The nobleman
at once assumed an attitude of virtuous indignation and
would not allow a foot of his land to be touched. His
estate should not be desecrated by noisy, smoking railway
trains filled with gamblers from all parts of the world.
As a result of this miserable quarrel every person, whether
a gambler or a poor peasant going to market, who has
occasion to travel by train between Homburg and Frank-
fort must follow a roundabout route so as to avoid the
estates of the Kurfiirst von Hessen. If the line could
have been constructed across these estates the journey
from Frankfort to Homburg would take about twenty
instead of thirty-five minutes. The gambling at Homburg
has long since been abolished ; nevertheless this delay is

290 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

still endured because once upon a time a petty German
lordling lost his temper over a gambling debt of 40,000
gulden.

It should also be noted that the other parties to the
quarrel nearly lost the orange-trees. If the orange blossom
is the symbol of matrimony, and if, as generally admitted,
gamblers are not good husbands, it is quite in keeping
with their meaning that the orange-trees should not have
prospered in the vicinity of gambling-tables. In any case,
they began to sicken even unto death till another British
princess came to favour the fortunes of Homburg. The
late Empress F'rederick, eldest daughter of her late
Majesty V'^ictoria, Queen of England, who was at that
time Crown Princess of Prussia, bought the orange-trees
and had them transferred to her garden at Kronberg.
Here a skilled gardener restored them to health.

The first year after the installation of roulette at
Homburg the number of visitors was doubled ; but this
did not mean much, for it only amounted to 1732. Five
years later, however, in 1847, it was 5187, and in 1830
rose to 10,105. This for some time seemed to be about
the high-water mark, for in 1865 the number of visitors
had only increased to 12,473. Nevertheless this was quite
sufficient to ensure the fortunes of Homburg and the
Blanc family. JNIr Percy Fitzgerald, in his " Fatal Zero, a
Homburg Diary," gives a picture of the popularity of the
town in the sixties. His clever study, written to show
how a sanctimonious prig is likely to become the worst
gambler of the whole company, affords also some insight
into the allurements and attractions of the gay town. As
a contrast to this somewhat severe and serious book, but
dealing with the same period, we have the amusing
frivolities in which the late George Augustus Sala ex-
celled. " Make your Game" is the title of his book, and
in it Sala describes himself as the " man with the iron
chest." Doubtless this was the coffer constructed to carry
away the treasure to be secured at Homburg by the aid of
the wonderful system he had studied so deeply. What this

SALA AT HOMBURG 291

system was is best described in Sala's own inimitable
words. He had " applied it in theory at home, both to
roulette and rouge ct iioir ; then essayed it, as he termed
it, with ' blank cartridge,' using haricot beans in lieu of
money, and carefully debiting and crediting hiniself with
the loss and profit ; he had worked out hundreds of
diagrams on paper, entirely to his own satisfaction, and at
one time stood to win no less than seventy-one thousand
six hundred and tliree haricot beans ; and finally, he
arrived at the mature conclusion that his system was
really infallible, and that, properly played, it must as
infalhbly bring liim in a large fortune. The munificence
of his intentions, at this stage of his enthusiastic castle-
building, with respect to the already-mentioned Julia, could
only be equalled by the Monte Christo-like extravagance
of his plans for purchasing landed estates in Devonshire,
baronial titles in Germany, and for releasing the sumptu-
ous diamonds of his family from the tribulation under
which they had so long lain at the hands of certain com-
mercial firms of Lombard extraction. The red-nosed man,
in fact, had secretly determined, as soon as his fortune
was made, to ' have his rights,' and ' show the world what
he was made of ' "

The wonderful system, if indeed it ever had any other
existence than that born of journalistic imagination,
utterly failed to work. The author confesses that "the
chandeliers and the money-clinking got into his head,
somehow, and confused it." Therefore he concludes with
the following excellent piece of advice : —

" Consider all these things, my son, and be wise ere
you steam up the Rhine towards Homburg-von-der-
Hode ; for if you go there, and be made of ordinary flesh
and blood — I am not writing for oy.sters or icebergs — you
must play, and will in all probability leave your skin
behind you.

" Of course there are the people who have won, do
win, and will win in Homburg, and at Baden and else-
where. There are the tremendous and almost superhuman

292 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

runs of luck such as no bank can foresee or withstand ;
such as enriched the notorious Baron de Worms and gave
a hundred thousand francs clear profit apiece to two
players who did not in the least need such a bonus — the
late Prince Lucien Bonaparte, and the Austrian General
Haynau, of detestable memory. Then — there is no use in
denying it — there are the people who are born to be lucky
at games of chance, and who, at whatsoever game they
play — loo, poker, roulette, or blind hookey — can almost
be certified to come off the winners. But, en revanche,
these lucky ones generally outstep the boundaries of their
luck by greedy persistence or by audaciously rash specula-
tions. They ride the free horse to death, tire out the
patience of Fortune and are ruined in the long run."

Sala and his companions did not make their game
very successfully at roulette but they made some very
amusing pen-and-ink sketches. One of these, representing
a corner of the roulette-table, is here reproduced. Standing
behind, to the left of an old lady with corkscrew curls,
is G. A. S. himself frowning at his waning fortunes. The
stout gentleman with the flowing moustache is the late
Horace, better known as " Ponny," Mayhew. In the
pocket of his capacious waistcoat he always carried
a goodly store of sixpenny bits. If anyone in his presence
said something humorous or made a good joke he at once
handed him over a sixpenny bit, and nothing would induce
him to take it back. On the other hand, having thus
relieved his conscience, he had no further scruples in
sending the joke to Punch. The third member of the
party, called " the slim gentleman," comes next. He may
be recognised by his long liair, nose and tie. This was
none other than the elder Vizetelly, irreverently called
Wizenbelly in press circles, who for many years was one
of the leading artists on the staff of The lUusti'cited
London Xezvs. The interesting trio, having failed to
break the bank, contented themselves by writing nursery
rhymes about the whole process, of which the following
are some samples : —

o

=="- c:

m': 3:

PHENOMENAL LUCK 293

" A flat he would a-gambling go.
Heigh ho ! says Roulette,
Whether the banker would let him or no ;
With his raky, shaky croupier and cards.
Heigh ho, sa3s Antony Roulette."

Then we are told that

" Humpty Dumpty laid on the Noir —
Humpty Dumpty lost ; and he swore
Not all his gold watch, pin, sleeve-buttons and chain.
Can pay Humpty's loss at the Kursaal again."

Finally we are invited to note " how vigorous is the
metrical flow of

" ' High diddle fiddle, Roulette's all a diddle.
When you win you jump out of your skin ;
But the banker he laughs to see such sport.
And the croupe runs arvaij iiilh the tin.' "

Sometimes, however, as Sala admits in the passage
just quoted, it is the player who "runs away with the tin."
Fortunately for the Blanc family, the players with
phenomenal luck only came after ordinary gamblers had
lost so much that such an onslaught could be faced
without fear. As notorious in his day as the " Wells who
broke the Bank at Monte Carlo," there was Garcia's run
on red at Homburg. With £80 this adventurer, for he
had no better reputation than the Wells of Monte Carlo,
won £20,000 on red. An Englishman who was playing at
the same time, and who very naturally supposed that Garcia
was forcing his luck and that the series of reds could not
continue much longer, well-nigh ruined himself by backing
black. In " Chance and Luck " the late Richard A.
Proctor, editor oi Knordedge, alludes to Garcia's wonderful
luck. The distinguished astronomer, mathematician and
Egyptologist quotes the following description of Garcia's
triumphs at Homburg, who " commenced his gambling
career by staking very small sums ; but, by the most
extraordinary luck, he was able to increase his capital

294 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

to such an extent that he now rarely stakes under the
maximum, and ahnost always wins. They say that when
the croupiers see him place his money on the table, they
immediately prepare to pay him, without waiting to see
if he has actually won, and that they have offered him
a handsome sum down to desist from playing while he
remains here. Crowds of people stand outside the Kursaal
doors every morning, awaiting his arrival, when he comes
following him into the room, and staking as he stakes.
When he ceases playing they accompany him to the door,
and shower on him congratulations and thanks for the
good fortune he has brought them. See how all the
people make way for him at the table, and how deferential
are the subdued greetings of his acquaintances ! He does
not bring much money with him, his luck is too great
to require it. He takes some notes out of a case, and places
maximums on black and couJeur. A crowd of eager hands
are immediately outstretched from all parts of the table,
heaping up silver and gold and notes on the spaces on which
he has staked his money, till there scarcely seems room
for another coin, while the other spaces on the table only
contain a few florins staked by sceptics who refuse to believe
in the count's luck." He wins ; and the narrative proceeds
to describe his continued successes until he rises from the
table a winner of 100,000 francs at that sitting.

According to one version, Garcia's luck turned ;
he had lost everything except £6000 ; when his luck
returned he had another series on red, winning fourteen
times in succession, and retired with £50,000 ; some
say more. It is difficult, however, to ascertain what
precisely happened. Though most of the books written
on the subject allude to Garcia's wonderful luck the
accounts differ at least in matters of detail. The author
of " The Gambling World " says that after winning
£70,000 at Homburg one year he returned the next
season and lost £80,000. After that this author relates
that he went altogether to the bad, frequenting private
gambling hells, where he got into disgrace. On the other

HOMBURG ABOLISHED 295

hand, one of the old casino employees now at INIonte
Carlo, but formerly at Homburg, told me that he knew
Garcia very well and that he won 3,000,000 francs,
or £120,000. In 1869 Garcia was at Monte Carlo. He
was a Spaniard, and ultimately retired from the world
to join the Trappist Order, with whom he died.

In 1866 the war broke out between Russia and Austria,
and then Madame Blanc's prescience was fully vindicated.
Hesse-Homburg might guarantee the casino, but after
the battle of Sadowa there remained no power willing
and capable of guaranteeing Hesse-Homburg. Frankfort
and all the surrounding country, including Homburg,
was swallowed up by Prussia at a single mouthful. The
landgrave of Hesse-Homburg was abolished. Its capital,
Homburg, became simply a town in the krcis or district
of Ober-Taunus and an integral part of the kingdom
of Prussia. But gambling houses had been abolished in
the kingdom of Prussia long ago. However, some respect
had to be shown to vested interests. Then it was thought
only decent to give the casino time to provide means for
the payment of its own funeral, and everyone agreed that
it was well entitled to a most expensive and first-class
funeral. The casino was therefore allowed to continue till
the 31st of December 1872, but it had to pay an annual
tax of £24,000 as Hombiu'g, denuded of the resources the
casino brought, would need a reserve fund to bury its old
life and start on a new existence. Therefore visitors were
still made welcome, and in spite of the impending end
continued to increase till their number in 1869 amounted
to 19,843. Even in 1870, during the Franco-German War,
there were 10,841 visitors. The next year, regardless of
the bitterness caused by the war, there came 18,867
visitors; and 1872 was the record year, with its list of
21,001.

This was the culminating point : on the 1st of January
1873 workmen only were admitted to the casino, so that
the gaming-tables might be removed. On all sides the
situation was viewed with blank despair. The French, who

296 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

had so greatly contributed to the elegance and gaiety of
Homburg, would certainly not come, nor the Russians,
the Italians, nor the wealthy diamond lords from South
America. No one would come unless it were a few quiet
English folks just to drink the waters. Nevertheless
£150,000 out of the tax the casino administration had
been made to pay was invested at 5 per cent, interest.
This constituted an endowment for the upkeep of the
palatial casino, the magnificent park and gardens and all
the many improvements for taking the waters. Entertain-
ments could still be given, though there was not money
enough to pay for the best artists and performers. As
the visitors could no longer contribute by playing roulette,
a direct tax is imposed on them. It used to be sixteen,
now it is twenty marks or shillings for every visitor who
remains more than three days at Homburg. But what
would the town have done if it had been obliged to
provide its own parks and build its casino ?

Of course the old style of prosperity has departed, but
sufficient remains to show that after all Homburg did not
depend exclusively on gambling. To the great surprise of
the inhabitants, 9287 visitors came during the first year
after the abolition of the games. In 1860, when gambling
was in full activity, there was nearly the same number of
visitors — namely, 9570. In twelve years, with the aid of the
resources derived from the games, the number of visitors
increased to 21,001. When this aid was no longer forth-
coming, during the twelve years that followed the abolition
of gambling, the increase of visitors to Homburg only
reached the figure of 11,079. This was in 1885, and since
then the progress has continued at the same slow rate.
These figures are of equal importance to those who favour
and those who oppose the abolition of the gaming at
Monte Carlo. They show that at Homburg, as is un-
doubtedly the case to-day at Monte Carlo, there is a
considerable number of visitors who went and still go
there not to gamble but in spite of the gambling. Visitors
continue to frequent Homburg for the sake of its waters

HOiNIBURG WITHOUT GAMBLING 297

as they would continue to spend the winter at Monte
Carlo for the sake of its climate and beauty. Nevertheless,
neither Homburg nor Monte Carlo, nor the Riviera
generally, would have been so extensively patronised by
those who do not gamble but for the celebrity given to
these places by M. Fran9ois Blanc and his successors.

CHAPTER IV

EARLY HISTORY OF THE CASINO

EV^EN before the annexation by France of Nice and
Savoy, comprising therein the rebelUous JNIone-
gasque communes of Menton and Roquebrune,
Charles III. wisely recognised that the only future for his
little principality was its conversion into a pleasure and
health resort. His hold on four-fifths of the principality
was precarious. What with Sardinian emissaries striving
to foment dissatisfaction so as to create a pretext for
annexation, and the real causes of complaint — the ex-
cessive taxation, combined with the unrelieved prospect
of prolonged poverty — the Monegasques had been in a
rebellious frame of mind ever since 1848. Something had
to be done to relieve taxation, to lessen the causes of
discontent and make the people understand that they had
every advantage in remaining an independent principality
instead of allowing themselves to be absorbed by the
King of Piedmont. Obviously, money was wanted, and
money is made in manufacturing centres, where com-
munication is rapid and easy ; not in out-of-the-way,
inaccessible and purely agricultural districts like Monaco.
What the principality produced could not be readily dis-
posed of as there was no easy means of transport. Boys
trod on the finest peaches to get the stones because the fruit
itself was too heavy to carry to places where it might be
sold. Few of the inhabitants had ever seen such a thing
as a gold coin ; but Prince Charles knew something of
the golden harvest reaped by the casinos of Baden-Baden,
Wiesbaden and other places. As an alternative between
the dismemberment and continued poverty of the

298

ART OF CREATING CASINOS 299

principality, a casino, if an evil, seemed by far the lesser
evil. Perfection in this world being unknown, perhaps true
wisdom resides in the ability to recognise the lesser evil of
two.

Casinos, however, are not to be had for the asking.
At Hyeres, many years ago, I met a gentleman who
gambled away all his money at Baden-Baden. When thus
ruined he called on M. Benazet and explained that having
lost all his money playing against the bank, he now
wished to place himself on the other side and work for
the bank. Glad to recruit a gentleman of good education
and distinguished manners, JNl. Benazet willingly employed
him. In the course of time his coui-age and industry were
duly rewarded, and now he was in a position to come to
Hyeres so as to obtain a concession to start a casino in
that town. Then it was, after hearing these preliminary
explanations, that I was made to understand what a very
difficult thing it is to organise and manage a casino.
Indeed, it seems to be quite a technique in itself, and I
was assured that many years of work in the lower grades
of the service were necessary before it was safe to assume
the supreme command. Apparently it was for want of any
such apprenticeship that the early casinos at Monaco were
egregious failures.

The first to make the attempt were M. Napoleon
Langlois and M. Albert Aubert. The latter was a
journalist, and contributed to the comic paper, the
Charivari — not that such literary ability is any evidence
of capacity in casino management. Nevertheless these
two partners managed to found a society with a capital of
£100,000, and in 185G obtained a concession from Prince
Charles which was to last thirty years. They secured as
premises the rather large house — large for those days
— which faces the palace and overlooks the great square.
This building still exists, and now serves as the barracks
of the palace guards. Here, on the 14th of October 18.50,
the roulette wheel was sent spirming round for the first
time in the principality. If ultimately this proved to be

300 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

the wheel of fortune, at first it only brought ruin. The
initiators soon got tired, and were very pleased to hand
over all their privileges to another society. The repre-
sentative of this was the Marquis d'Arnesano, and fresh
blood was infused into it in the person of M. Frossard de
Lilbonne. The new combination got into harness on the
15th of November 1857, yet by the 31st of December of
the same year they had sold out to M. Daval. Thus in
one year and two months the casino changed proprietors
three times. Evidently the old employee of M. Benazet I
had met at Hyeres was quiet right when he insisted that
it required special knowledge, and above all special tact,
to run a casino.

M. Daval seems to have been the first manager who
possessed the right sort of instinct. He at least understood
that a casino could not prosper in silence. Like a show
at the fair, there must be a big drum outside. Therefore
M. Daval determined upon a new inauguration and a
splendid banquet. All the notabilities, functionaries, artists,
literary men anywhere within reach must not only be
invited but brought to Monaco in carriages specially hired
for the purpose. There was to be a lavish display of
ribbons on the harness of the horses combining the
Monegasque and the French colours, and thus each
can-iage was in itself a good advertisement. Then there
were the speeches at the banquet, which of course would
be reported far and wide. Finally, as a climax. Prince
Charles himself was to appear at the dessert. With over-
flowing bowls, everyone drank to everyone else, and above
all to the success of the casino and its new manager.
In spite of greater dash and ability, M. Daval had to give
up the struggle in less than two years, and died miserably
in a hospital at Marseilles.

Play did not continue all the time in the same building,
but was transferred to a house grandiloquently called
" The Palace," which belonged to ]\L Dumond, the former
partner of M. de \'^illemessant of Figcuo fame. This
building, with appropriate alterations, now serves for the

Till-; Croupikrs of the old Monegasquk Gambling Tables watching

FOR THE ARRIVAL OF PLAYERS
Front a conteittporary lirmviii^

MONACO CASINO FAILURES 301

Government Offices overlooking the Place de la Visitation.
Close by there stood the Cafe dii Soleil, about which
sinister stories are told. Though, in these early days, a
minimum stake of two francs was allowed, there were
players who had not even this sum remaining. They then
congregated at the cafe and played for pennies or half-
franc pieces, till at last someone would so far redeem
his fortunes as to be the possessor of a complete two-
franc piece ; then he could return to the casino and have
one more chance. But even players with only two-franc
pieces to risk were quite rare. Hours would go by and no
one come to play. The croupiers, weary of waiting, would
go out and walk about smoking cigarettes. At last
someone had the liappy idea of placing a telescope on the
ramparts. Through this glass a good watch could be kept
on the road, and if anyone appeared, or a carriage came
in sight that suggested the approach of players, it would
be time enough for the croupiers to go back to the casino
and take their accustomed places at the roulette-table.
The illustration representing croupiers at Monaco watching
for players is reproduced from M. Charles Limousin's
bright little book, the " Guide du Joueur," published
in 1899.

Not only did the casino remove from what is now
the barracks to the present Government House, it also
went down to the Condamine during the winter months,
and occupied one of the rare dwellings that existed amid
the violets grown for Rimmel's perfumery. This was the
Villa Belle- Vue, which the casino christened Palais de la
Condamine. It still exists, just off the rue Grimaldi, witli
its back against the railway line and not far from the
gorge of St Devote. But more ambitious projects were
entertained. If the casino was to be a success, new
buildings would have to be constructed, and above all
hotels and villas must be built where the visitors, if
anything ever induced them to come, might find com-
fortable accommodation. There were the Sp(^lugnes, arid
rocks (so named from the word spehmca, cavern) con-

302 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

taining caves which were supposed to have served as
sepulchres in times gone by. The end of these barren rocks
is washed by the sea. It was a good place to find sea-
urchins, mussels and other shell-fish of delicate flavour.
In 1828, Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia and Piedmont,
father of Victor-Emmanuel, the first King of United
Italy, lent a number of convicts to the Prince of Monaco
in order that they might build the road from Monaco to
Menton, stipulating that the prince should feed them
while they were at work. The Count de Rey was then
proprietor of the Spelugnes, a bare and worthless
property, and he had an ingenious idea. When the road to
JNIenton was finished, he obtained leave, in his turn, to
employ the convicts. Under his direction they gathered
earth wherever earth could be gathered, and deposited
it upon the bare rocks of the promontory of the Spelugnes.
As soon as he had thus secured enough earth, the count
planted vines, fig, orange and lemon trees. By 1835 land
was bearing a plentiful harvest of fruit. To-day, if the
gardens at Monte Carlo are so beautiful, a grateful thought
might perhaps be spared for those poor convicts who
rendered this possible by laboriously carrying the fertile
earth up to the summit of the barren rocks.

Now the directors of the casino cast longing eyes on
this spot, perhaps because of its beautiful situation, but
more probably because the land brought up by the
convicts had not, in spite of the lemon-trees, acquired any
great value. In the Condamine, where the flowers were
grown for a celebrated perfumery, it would cost much
more to buy building sites. Besides, the Count de Rey
was willing to sell. Thus it came about that on the 13th of
May 18.58 the foundation stone of the Monte Carlo casino
was laid, though in those days this name had not yet
been chosen. Prince Charles, not discouraged by the
previous failures, sent his son and heir, only ten years old,
to lay the foundation stone. It appears, according to the
records, that it was raining most violently all the time,
but the young prince acquitted himself of his functions

ATTACK ON THE PALACE 303

so well that it was proposed to call the new casino the
Eli/sce Alberto.

Messieurs Lefevre, Griois and Jagot, who had suc-
ceeded INI. Daval as proprietors of the casino concession,
secured the collaboration of M. Godineau de la Bretonnerie,
an architect of recognised merit. But there were many
difficulties in store. The very next year came the war that
ended at Solferino. Italy and France were fighting Austria,
and on the 18tli of January 1895 the Sardinian steamer
Mulfatauo arrived at Monaco to embark the Piedmontese
garrison. These troops were now needed at Turin in view
of the approaching war. Freed from this restraint, plots
and counter-plots prospered in the principality. In the
meanwhile, the building of the casino was turning out
ill. As the walls rose from their rocky foundation the rock
itself began to give way. The architect reported, however,
that the foundations were sound enough but that bad build-
ing materials had been employed. A fierce quarrel ensued,
and the architect, utterly disgusted, packed his trunks
and left not only Monaco but Europe. It is said he went
to Abyssinia, wliere he became a cabinet minister in the
government of King Theodorus. All these difficulties and
the threatened war did not help on the casino business,
and there was much trouble in finding money to pay the
workmen engaged on the new building. The fact that the
workmen were now clamouring for their wages was
skilfully utilised to suggest an attack on Monaco, with
the prospect of pillaging the palace and of proclaiming
the revolution, though it is not quite clear for what
purpose a revolution was to be effected. Doubtless
different leaders had different programmes.

On the 6th of February 1859 an armed mob was per-
ceived marching upon the town. But the National Guards
were quickly assembled. The gates of the old town were
closed and cannon brought to bear upon the approaches.
When they were near enougli, the prince's aide-de-camp,
Viscount Grandsaigne, with some armed followers,
sallied forth to meet the mob. But the latter, who had

304 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

hoped to surprise the town, at once lost heart and threw
down their arms. About fifty would-be rebels were
arrested, and the leaders condemned to terms of imprison-
ment varying from six months to two years ; but they
were all liberated by the prince before the conclusion of
their sentences. Such disturbances naturally helped to
retard the construction of the casino. It was not till the
month of May 1862 that the new building on the pro-
montory of the Spelugnes was at last inaugurated. It was
but a modest structure, something like a rather large
villa. Such as it was, it stood almost alone. Free gifts of
land had been offered to those who would undertake to
build some sort of dwelling on the sites ; not a single
person accepted the offer. Thus fifty-two years ago land
at Monte Carlo was to be had for nothing, and to-day it
is as valuable as if situated in a central part of Paris or
London. Yet just at the time when people were asked to
accept this land as a gift the railway from Marseilles,
then in course of construction, had already reached
Cagnes, which is only a few miles on the other side of
Nice. Notwithstanding tliis approach of the railway, no
one seems to have foreseen the great effect that it would
have on the prosperity of the principality.

It was the difficulty of communication that killed all
the enterprises attempted. There was no direct road from
Nice. The Corniche road, though very picturesque, was
very long and circuitous. It was only in the year 1860
that an approximatively regular service by sea was estab-
lished. An old ramshackle steamer called the Palmaria
went from Nice to Monaco and back every day, " weather
permitting." It took two hours to travel fifteen miles,
and the Pahnai-'ui never ventured out at all if the sea
looked unfavourable. As for punctuality, the captain was
always willing to wait if there was a chance of securing
an extra passenger, and it was quite a common thing to
see people come i-unning down to the Condamine waving
their handkerchiefs and shouting to the steamer to wait
for them. After a year or two the Palmaria w^as withdrawn

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POLITICAL FAILURE OF CASINO 305

and replaced by a more seaworthy boat christened, for
the occasion, the Cluwles III. This ship could actually
accommodate, with some semblance of comfort, sixty pas-
sengers, and it was just as well that it did not take more.
At the Spelugnes there were but two modest hotels and
restaurants — the Hotel de Paris, parent of the present
palatial and costly resort, and the Hotel d'Angleterre,
which occupied the site of the modern JMonte Carlo post
office. The Hotel de Paris was run by the casino
administration, and soon became the Providence of un-
fortunate players. Over and over again those who had lost
went to the Hotel de Paris, dined first, and then confessed
they had no money. Nothing much was said ; the bill was
placed in a well-filled drawer to be ultimately entered in
the profit and loss account.

All this time, it cannot be said that the casino had
been of much political use. It had brought no great
prosperity. Tliere was, at any rate, not enough improve-
ment to induce the comnmnes of Menton and Roquebrune
to abandon their rebellious attitude towards the Prince of
Monaco. Tlierefore when, after the war of 1859, Nice and
Savoy were handed over to France, the two communes,
as we have seen, voted in favour of being included in this
annexation. Thus the policy of sanctioning the establish-
ment of a casino failed in its main purpose ; it did not
save tlie principality from dismemberment. Neverthe-
less the time was now approaching when it would
bring the long-anticipated and oft-deferred prosperity,
and this to an extent that has exceeded the wildest
dreams.

Towards the end of the year 1862, M. Fran9ois Blanc
happened to be in Paris, and M. Ijcfebvre, then manager
of the casino, asked one of his friends to sound him with
a view to his purchasing the Monaco concession. M. Blanc
was very guarded in his answer, saying that he would
make iiKpiiries and consider the matter. What ensued
was originally related by M. Marie de Saint-Germain, a
poet who, since 1860, came during the winter to Monaco

306 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

for the sake of his health. His brief description of the all-
important transaction has been repeated by almost every
person who has written on the subject. The fact is that
the old story cannot be avoided, as everyone wants to
know in detail how M. Francois Blanc became the pos-
sessor of the casino. It was on the 31st of March 1863
that M. Blanc, having finally made up his mind, called on
M. Lefebvre at his office. Then, as M. Marie de Saint-
Germain tells us, M. Blanc said :

" You want to sell your concession and I am willing to
buy it. Now think the matter over. I will come "back at
three o'clock for I must catch the steamer that leaves at
four o'clock and I want the affair to be settled before I
return to Nice."

The price agreed upon was £68,000, to be paid in three
drafts on the Bank of France. M. de Pagau, the Secretary-
General of the Government, was hastily called upon to
submit the proposal to Charles III. ; and, as M. Francois
Blanc's reputation had travelled before him, everyone was
eager to conclude the bargain. M. Blanc was not delayed ;
he caught his steamer and returned in good time to Nice,
everything having been satisfactorily settled.

On the 1st of April 1863 M. Blanc formed the com-
pany known as La Societc unoniimc des Bains de Mer et dn
Cercle dcs Etrangers a Monaco. Thus, in the a ery title
of the company, it is particularly specified that the casino
is to be a club for foreigners and not for the public in
general. The concession was to last fifty years, the capital
was to consist of £600,000 divided into 30,000 shares of
£20 each. So widespread was the reputation M. Blanc
had acquired by reason of his successful management of
the Homburg casino that there was a great demand for
the shares. Many very illustrious persons were anxious to
place their money in M. Blanc's keeping, and to share the
profits he was likely to make. Though some of them were
by profession teachers of morality they do not seem to
have taken any special trouble to ascertain whether
roulette might be considered a reforming influence.

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THE BIRTH OF MONTE CARLO 307

Among the first to purchase casino shares was the
cardinal who afterwards became Pope Leo XIII.

It was not till the 1st of June 18G6 that Prince
Charles issued an ordinance dividing his principality once
again into three towns. Instead of Monaco, Roquebrune
and JSIenton, as formerly, there would be INIonaco, the
Condamine and IMonte Carlo. The district from the
valley of St Devote right over the hill and promontory of
the Spelugnes to the eastern end of the principality and
the road called Franciosi was henceforth to be called
Monte Carlo. M. Blanc, it is true, was still busy at Hom-
burg, but it was nevertheless clear that when the railway
reached the principality, there now being no lack of
capital to develop its resources, a great and rapid growth
would take place. Rural districts would become urban
districts, and the two new communes would have a
sufficient population to justify their existence as com-
munes.

The first casino built by M. Godineau de la Breton-
nerie for M. Daval and his successors occupied the site
and was scarcely larger than what is now known as the
atrium. The vestibule in front of the atrium did not then
exist. This was built many years later. In the plan of the
casino I ha\e endeavoured, by adding dates to the different
sections, to give the history of the growth of the casino at
a glance. The date 18G1 occurs twice, and is placed where
in the first casino two extremities were walled off. The
central portion, now called the atrium, contained the old
concert and ball room ; at one end were the roulette-tables
and at the other the smoking and reading rooms. The
accompanying illustration of the north side of the casino
in the early sixties shows that it was but a modest building,
standing in the midst of a scene of desolation, newly made
roads bordering flower-beds where nothing had had time
to grow. It was not till 1872 that an important addition
was made to the casino. This was called the Moorish
Room, and was the work of the architect, M. Dutrou. It
was considered very original and attractive at the time,

308 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

and was so large that there was ample room for five
roulette or trciite-ct-quarante tables. To-day, however, it
has been much altered and redecorated. All trace of
Moorish art has disappeared, and it is now known as the
Salle Schmit.

When the Salle Mauresque was built the casino
terraces were also constructed, and preceded the building
of the opera or theatre, thus providing a suitable site for
that great monument. Another illustration will give some
idea of the aspect of the casino on its south side, that
which overlooks the sea. The photograph was taken at a
later period, when some of the plants had grown. On one
side of the original building, to the right of the picture,
can be seen a small portion of M. Dutrou's new gaming-
room, the Salle Mauresque. The photograph, therefore,
was taken after 1872 but before 1878.

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CHAPTER V

CHARLES GARNIER AND THE MONTE CARLO THEATRE

UP to 1878 the casino had no theatre; only a
concert-room or festival hall, which measured no
more than 100 feet in length and 40 feet in width.
Nor was this hall lofty ; the ceiling was but 26 feet from
the floor. Here M. Rom^o Accursi, who conducted the
band during the summer season at the casino of Vichy,
organised the concerts given during the Monte Carlo
winter season. Ultimately his orchestra numbered some
seventy performers, and even in those early days they
were all excellent musicians. In the evening this concert
hall was often converted into a ballroom. On other
occasions a few actors and actresses, notably from the
Palais Royal Theatre, and Madame Judic from the
Theatre des Varietds, Paris, came down and performed
some of their best parts. This helped to accentuate the
need of a theatre. At Baden-Baden, under the rule of the
great Benazet, the same thing had happened. First there
were concerts ; then it became necessary to build a theatre.
Here, from 1866 up to the war of 1870, some of the most
popular plays were performed by the best actors. This was
not sufficient. Soon the theatre of the Baden-Baden
casino acquired such a high reputation that original
plays were written expressly to be produced for the first
time on its boards.

Monsieur Fran(,'ois Blanc could not rest satisfied with
a small concert-room ; besides, as audiences increased,
people began to grumble. The railway to Monaco was
opened in 1868. C)ne year after the war, in 1872, the
number of passengers booking to Monaco was 160,949.
309

310 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

By 1875, only three years later, the number rose to
215,017. Something had to be done, and this on a large
scale ; but in July 1877 death overtook M. Francois Blanc
before anything definite had been decided upon. Madame
Blanc, however, who had been her husband's good genius
on more than one occasion, was well qualified to preserve
the spirit of enterprise and the generous traditions which
distinguished JNl. Francois Blanc's administration. The
determination to build a theatre was upheld, and it was
further resolved that the casino itself should be greatly
embellished. The little concert-room was comfortable
enough, but absolutely devoid of any architectural preten-
sions, and the casino, in spite of the Moorish decorations
of its new gaming-room, was quite an ordinary, common-
place building.

To decide upon building is an easy matter, particularly
when there is enough money in hand to carry out such
a resolution. It is not so easy to determine the style of
the building and to secure the services of a competent
architect. Obviously it would be advantageous to have
something original ; something that would make people
talk and cause disputes between different schools of art.
Controversies of this description had just taken place over
the new Grand Opera at Paris, more especially about
the sculpture on the exterior ; notably Carpeaux's group
representing " La Danse." It may be remembered that one
indignant critic threw a bottle of ink at the nude figures,
and of course this outrage greatly enhanced the popularity
of the sculptor and of his work. Now it so happened that
M. Francois Blanc had indirectly been of great service
to M. Charles Gamier, the architect of the Grand Opera.
The building was planned and the greater part constructed
during the latter days of the Second Empire, but the war
and the Revolution came before the work was finished.
After the calamitous results of the war, the Government
was more concerned in reconstituting the French nation
than in completing the opera house. Yet if this and other
similar public works could be carried forward with borrowed

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PARIS OPERA AND M. BLANC 311

money the Government would gladly give its assent. The
nation was so heavily burdened with war taxes that it
could not afford to do more than pay interest on loans
raised for such purposes. A law was enacted, that bears
date of the 24th March 1874, authorising the Ministry of
Public Works to borrow from financial societies or from
private individuals the money necessary to complete the
building and decoration of the Grand Opera. Thereupon
M. Francois Blanc came forward and offered to lend the
necessary money. A decree was issued, dated 10th May
1874, signed by Marshal Mac-Mahon as President of the
Republic, and by M. R. de Larcy as Minister of Public
Works, accepting from M. Francois Blanc a loan, at
6 per cent, interest, of 4,900,000 francs (£196,000) to be
spent in the completion of the new Grand Opera.^

From the very first M. Franc^ois Blanc felt that the
possession of wealth entailed great responsibilities and
duties which were not to be met by the occasional despatch
of a cheque to some charitable institution. Wealth must
be invested in such a manner as to render service, and it
may well be claimed that the whole world has benefited
by the completion of the Paris Grand Opera. It is only
necessary to go to one of the performances to see that

^ This is the actual text of the decree :

" Le Conseil d'Etat entendu ;
" Decrete
"Article 1". — Est et deraeure approuvce radjudication passee, le
28 Avril 187-i, par le Ministre des Travaux Publics pour Texecution de
la loi duj 24 Mars 1874, relative a I'achevement du nouvel Opera.

"En consequence est acce])tee definitivenient roffre faite par le sieur
Blanc Francois d'avances a I'Etat la soninie de 4,900,000 francs au taux
de 6 per cent, et aux conditions enoncees tant dans la dite loi que dans
I'arrete sus-vise.

"Article 2. — Le Ministre des Travaux Publics est eharg^ de Texecution
du present decret.

" Fait i Paris, le 10 Mai 1874.

" Marechal de Mac-Mahon,
" Due DE Majenta.
" Par le President de la Republique,
" Le Ministre des Travaux Publics,

" R. DE Larcy."

312 MONACO AND IVIONTE CARLO

there are almost as many foreign as French spectators.
Whatever may be said of the performances, there can be
no doubt that the building is one of the most magnificent
and original edifices ever constructed for theatrical pur-
poses. The architect was given a free hand, and of this
permission he made the fullest use. Though going yearly
to Italy to seek inspiration amid the masterpieces of
ancient architecture and of the Renaissance, M. Charles
Gamier conceived a style of his own. He has a theory
and a reason for every detail, and it has taken him twenty-
five years of unremitting labour to create this school. It
is a mixture of display, extravagant display, and of
realism. Thus the Grand Opera viewed from the outside
shows in a realistic manner what is contained within. The
monumental staircase, which reaches only the first floor,
and the crush-room situated on that floor, are both in the
front, and this is the lowest part of the building. But
the dome over the auditorium, and the loftier roof over
the stage enable those who are outside and at a sufficient
distance to distinguish which are the different parts of the
house. The decorations inside, however, were more
generally criticised. To-day people are better accustomed
to the style, and time has toned down its glaring effects.
The unlimited gilding on the somewhat wild and extra-
vagant designs no longer shines so brightly. Still, whatever
fault may be found with the style of decoration, it faith-
fully represented the genius of the time. It was brilliant
and garish, as were the latter days of the Second Empire.
All was pomp and ostentation. There was nothing severe
or classical about it, and it needed no special cultivation
of the eye or the mind to appreciate its magnificence.
Still it is only fair to say that Napoleon III. insisted that
the new Hotel-Dieu should be finished before the new
opera. When inaugurating this immense hospital, the
emperor made some allusion to the fact, saying that we
must first provide an asylum for the relief of pain before
we build a palace of pleasure.

If ever an architect wrote history, then by building in

HISTORY IN STONE 313

Paris itself the new opera, Charles Garnier related in letters
of stone the history not only of the apotlieosis of the
Second Empire, but also of its decline and fall. The Paris
Grand Opera remains a monument of great historical
interest. The style, especially with regard to decoration,
is not, it may be hoped, appropriate to the French nation
and its great political and intellectual capital, but it
accurately records the short period of shallow frivolity
into which the people lapsed after more than a century
of heroic endeavour.

If the style of decoration introduced at the new opera
fails to suggest the generous initiati\e of the I'aris of the
Great Revolution ; if it does not recall the commercial
Marais and the industrious faubourgs with their teeming
population of tradesmen and highly skilled artisans ; nor
yet the Paris of the Latin Quarter, with its world-famed
university, its men of science and of genius, its writers,
statesmen and philosophers, still, it reflects accurately
enough the love of extravagant show that can be ap-
preciated easily, without intellectual effort, by the cosmo-
politan crowd of pleasure-seekers who have peopled a
town of their own witliin the Paris of the true Parisian.
Now it so happened that while M. Fran9ois Blanc lent
the money required to finish the Paris opera house,
cosmopolitan I'aris — which, be it always borne in mind,
Parisians energetically repudiate — was beginning to
acquire the habit, during the winter, of occasionally
seeking pleasure and sunshine at ISIonte Carlo. What
could be more natural than that the architect of the Paris
Grand Opera should be consulted with regard to the
proposed (irand Theatre at Monte Carlo i IVI. Charles
Garnier had publicly expressed his gratitude to M. Francois
Blanc for having rendered the completion of the Paris
opera possible. If M. Garnier's style was, perhaps, as
indicated above, not sufficiently severe, classic and serious
for a great and historic capital such as Paris, it was, on
tlie contrary, admirably suited to Monte Carlo. Monaco,
with its austere battlements, with its ancient history.

314 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

might with reason have objected to Charles Garnier and
all his works ; but Monte Carlo, with no history whatso-
ever, built on an uninhabited promontory, and only seeking
to attract wealthy idlers from every part of the world,
was the very place of all others where his style and genius
would be most appreciated.

M. Charles Garnier readily consented. At the end of
April 1878 he was able to submit his designs to Madame
Blanc ; they were accepted, and then a wonderful work
was accomplished. By the end of October the building
was completed and handed over to the decorators, sculptors
and painters. This was no ordinary task, and it was
necessary to work day and night without a moment's
respite. A plan also had to be devised to secure equal
comfort and an equally good view for all the seats in the
theatre. In short, there were to be only orchestra stalls, a
special box for the prince, and six other boxes. No idea was
entertained of charging for admittance, and it was thought
that as all the seats were gratuitous they should all be
equally good. The theatre must be easily accessible
from within the casino and from without. For concerts
in the afternoon there must be daylight, for evening
performances there must be gas, as electricity was not
yet available. Builders of theatres usually do not contem-
plate the possibility of daylight representations. In
London and elsewhere what feeble light may be admitted
by the windows is excluded, and artificial light employed
during even matinee performances. At Monte Carlo, on
the contrary, the windows are so large and lofty that
a daylight concert can easily be given. Indeed, there is
often too much light, and yellow blinds as large as the
sail of a ship have to be lowered to soften the glare of the
southern sun.

An enormous army of workers, artisans and artists, had
to be brought down. Some portions of the old building
were promptly demolished. Holes were blown in the rock
with dynamite as the quickest way of digging for deeper
foundations. Lofty scaffolding rose from the ground,

BUILDING DAY AND NIGHT 315

engines snorted and puffed, lifting the stones, that had
for the most part come all the way from Aries. As it was
warm weather, the concerts were given in the open air,
and served to cheer the workmen as well as to entertain
the visitors. It was a strange scene, the illuminations for
the concert mingled with the flaring torches of the
building works ; the notes of the musical instruments
combined with the sounds of the engines and the hammers.
The idlers and the workers were side by side, each with
artificial light striving to convert night into day. It is to
be hoped that the gamblers were well satisfied when they
saw how the money they had lost was giving useful
employment to a great concourse of workmen. In six
months the bold outline of the theatre, with its two
graceful towers which have become the principal land-
mark of Monte Carlo, could be seen through a maze of
scaffolding.

In designing a building, and particularly its frontage,
the effect will be either gay or sombre according to the
number of windows, doors, arcades, columns — that is to
say, of breaks in the dull severity of the walls. The greater
the facilities of entry, the more hospitable the building
appears. Its inhabitants evidently do not wish to wall
themselves off from the world, and it is easy to imagine
that there must be plenty of light and gaiety within. This
is precisely the effect realised by the frontage of the
Monte Carlo theatre. Three lofty windows that are more
like arcades, for they consist of columns upholding arches,
fill the centre of the facade. They convey the idea that
their purpose must be to illuminate some vast and splendid
hall. Immediately above, like a jewelled belt around the
building, runs a broad frieze in mosaic. It is the work of
M. Facchina, of ^^enice. This mosaic, and the use of the
Monaco art })ottery-ware, constitute a polychrome decora-
tion rarely seen outside buildings in northern latitudes,
but very popular in Italy, and well suited to the climate
of Monte Carlo. The design of the mosaic (head repre-
senting " Comedy " and " Tragedy ") is not original, but its

316 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

effect is very bright and pleasing. The httle cubes of gold
seem to catch fire in the sunlight, and how deep and
luminous are the sapphire blues, purples and violets ;
how delicate and translucent the lilac, the turquoise and
the emerald-green. Aided by distance, and by the brilliant
sunshine, these little coloured cubes seem veritable precious
stones.

The boldest innovation, in which Gamier outstepped
anything he had done before, was the construction of the
two lofty towers. What could be the use of these square
turrets ? As steeples of a church or minarets of a mosque
they might serve a purpose. If comedy and music are
worthy to be heard in a temple, there was no connection
intended between the theatre of the Monte Carlo casino
and a church of any denomination whatsoever. Why then
have steeples ? The answer is simple. Every tall, narrow
building is not a steeple. A lighthouse is not a steeple.
The towers of the theatre have a small dome, large
windows, a lantern above the dome, but no place for
hanging bells. There is, however, a balcony, from whence
a magnificent view can be obtained. Here is the object,
here is the purpose — that of seeing, and above all of being
seen at a distance. Far out at sea. from the ships as they
pass, sailors and passengers cannot fail to recognise the
frontage of the Monte Carlo casino, with its broad
terraces ; and rising high above them the bold facade and
lofty towers of Charles Garnier's chef-iVceuvre. Two or
three strokes of pencil or pen from an artist's hand will
render the outline of these two towers and the great
domed roof of the theatre between them. This is sufficient.
Monte Carlo is at once recognised. Just as the West-
minster clock tower suggests London ; the tower of St
Angelo, Rome ; the towers of Notre-Dame, Paris ; so,
in an equally unmistakable manner, do the towers of
Charles Garnier's theatre proclaim Monte Carlo. To build
towers to a theatre was doubtless a very unorthodox
eccentricity, but it has served a very useful purpose. Then,
after all, no one can say they are not graceful ; all must

I

I'.AST \lliW 1)1- nil. (lAKNIKU Tl I KATK li : lA'.IM. SVKAIl I'.KK M I AK HT S

Staiuk ok Som;

IVIAKING A LANDMARK 317

acknowledge that they harmonise admirably with tlie rest
of the building and greatly enhance its general monu-
mental effect.

The three bull's-eye apertures above the frieze are
more susceptible of criticism. They are somewhat heavy,
and there are too many shields, lyres, masks, employed
as decorative motives ; but this is the inherent fault of
the Gamier style ; it is overdone. It is in the general
design of a building, rather than in the detail of its
ornamentation, that Garnier excels. Nowhere is this more
evident than within the theatre itself The effect on those
who enter the auditorium for the first time must be most
startling. There is gold, gold, and yet more gold. Friezes
and garlands, frescoes, shields, embossed work, such a
crush and a crowd of gilded ornamentation, that the mind
fails to grasp what it all means. However, in time, the
eye discerns in the vaulted roof Boulanger's " Music,"
Lix's " Comedy," Feyen-Perrin's " Song," and Clairin's
"Dance." The first of these pictures is classical, the
second mythological, the third inspires reverence, but
Clairin's " Dance " reflects the real spirit of a casino, and
suggests a moment of reckless enjoyment. Between these
pictures, as if supporting the vaulted roof on their backs,
are four giant figures of " Renown " in bronze and gold, by
the sculptor, J. Thomas. They are powerful young women,
physically capable of upholding the celestial vault spread
above them, and they seem to perform this function quite
seriously. Immediately below them are two young lads
with no clothes, not even a little gilding, uncomfortably
seated on a narrow ledge, looking as if they had come out
of a swimming-bath. There is nothing ideal about them ;
their hands and feet especially are absolutely realistic. No
one has been able to explain why these boys are perched
up there ; but presumably they know the secret, since
they look quite happy. They do not seem to be in the
least troubled about the public, towards whom they tiu-n
the soles of their feet. Their want of clothes may be
excused on the gi'ound that they are high enough up to

318 MONACO AND I^IONTE CARLO

be among the gods, but why such a regrettable lack of
manners ?

Above the naked boys, between the draped and
golden figures of " Renown," are rows of elaborately decor-
ated bull's-eye windows, the design culminating at the
summit in a head. These heads, moulded by M. Chabaud,
symbolise various orders of music^ — pastoral, martial,
hunting, dance music, etc., etc.

The theatre is longer than it is broad. Opposite the
stage is situated a galler}^ containing the prince's box.
This is the west end, and here there is a magnificent
door opening at the angle made by the road and the
terraces. The door is seldom, if ever, used by the public,
being reserved as a private entrance to the prince's box.
No one can pass it without admiring the two superb
Nubian slaves which are sheltered under the doorway,
and serve as candelabras, each holding crystal crescents
above their heads. They are among the finest specimens
of M. Chabaud's work as a sculptor. Above the entrance
is a small balcony which can be reached from the prince's
box and where fresh air may be enjoyed between the acts.
It contains an original and graphic statue of " Industry,"
by M. Cordier. A hardy woman of the people, with
herculean muscles, rests her vigorous arms on her hammer
with an air of proud confidence. She feels that all the
world depends on her efforts. Her clothing is simple —
merely a skin apron. The companion statue is an idealistic
and dreamy conception of sculpture, by M. Godebski.
Close by, the angles of the masonry are ornamented with
two statues of " Music " and '* Dance," by JNI. Cordier.
The usual entrance to the theatre is from the atrium ;
the central door is flanked by two caryatides in Floren-
tine bronze. One of tliese — " Music " — is the work of
M. Bayard de la Vingeterie ; the other — " Literature " — is
by M. Aizelin. Some of Jean Goujon's decoration of the
Hotel Carnavalet in Paris has been imitated in the design
of the group which protects the arms of Monaco above
this door. M. Mathieu was the sculptor.

WlCsr \'1KW OF TilK (lAKMKK TllKAlKE: l'ACIN(; Gll.STAVIC DoUli's SXAl UE

OI-- Danck

CREATING CONTROVERSY 319

The peculiar feature of the construction of the Rlonte
Carlo theatre is that though the whole scheme and design
are the outcome of M. Charles Garnier's genius, he called
in a great number of collaborators and, entrusting to each
some detail, gave him full freedom to deal with it ac-
cording to his fancy. But even more remarkable than this
was the strange idea of setting artists to work at an art
other than their own. Thus he insisted that the great
tragedian, Sarah Bernhardt, should be responsible for a
statue representing " Song " ; and that the celebrated
painter, Gustave lioro, should contribute as a pendant
another statue representing " The Dance." There was
almost as much talk about this as about the towers. Why
put spires or minarets to a theatre ? Why give an actress
and a painter sculpture to do, when there were so many
properly qualified sculptors only too eager to undertake
such a task ? In all the studios, in artistic circles, among
all the art critics, endless discussions ensued. On the
higher terrace, in niches under the two towers that have
caused such widespread debate, are to be found the
statues that were also so much discussed. Nor were these
amateur sculptors content with one statue. Gustave Dore
has placed at the foot of " Tiie Dance " a cupid, with
dimpled and well-rounded limbs, duly armed with his
fatal bow and arrow. Sarah Bernhardt's winged songstress
did not satisfy her ; she added a young girl sitting at the
feet of the singer. Those not versed in the technique of
the art see nothing to criticise in either of the statues,
but much has been said against the left leg of Sarah
Bernhardt's young girl. Much exception, too, has been
taken to the arrangement of the drapery, which is fastened
up on the shoulders with something of a butterfly effect,
a 1(1 ,7apo/i(i/.se.

But criticism is easy, and, admitting that better
statues could have been obtained, they would never be
half so interesting. The fact that these statues were
contributed by great artistic celebrities, but celebrities
who were not sculptors, cannot fail to excite universal

320 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

curiosity. Thus it comes to pass that everyone who goes
to Monte Carlo makes a point of discovering the where-
abouts of the statues by Sarah Bernhardt and Gustave
Dore. Unfortunately, they have been ill-treated by time
and weather. Finished hui-riedly, to be ready for the
opening of the new theatre, they could only be moulded
in clay and cast in plaster. There are no ironworks at
Monaco to cast statues in bronze, nor was it possible to
carve them in marble. The statues, therefore, are in plaster.
To preserve them, they have been painted over ; but the
sun has cracked and blistered the paint, and some of it is
peeling off. " Song "and " Dance " seem both to be suffer-
ing from a severe attack of eczema.

The building, we have seen, was begun in April 1878,
and handed over to the decorators and upholsterers in
October. By the commencement of the following year it
was completed, and the solemn inauguration took place
on the 25th of January 1879. Needless to say, this was
a brilliant ceremony. Even the artistic design of the pro-
gramme was quite in the Charles Garnier style, includ-
ing the two towers, the subject of so much controversy,
and the two naked boys who persist in showing the soles
of their feet. But this time they were usefully employed
blowing long trumpets, and if uncomfortably seated, they
were provided with wings so that they could fly away.
It was at two o'clock in the afternoon of the 24th of
January that M. Romeo Accursi and his orchestra first
entered the new theatre. The place was still encumbered
by ladders, ropes, pieces of sculpture and ornamentation.
Charles Garnier and his family, all the directors of the
casino, young architects, artists, newspaper reporters,
great theatrical or operatic celebrities were there to
rehearse for the morrow's opening performance. The cele-
brated tenor, Capoul, was the first to clamber on the stage,
where he strutted about with evident satisfaction, Madame
INIiolan-Carvalho sang to an accompaniment of hammers
driving in nails. Other women now came forward ; they
had not melodious voices, but they had strong arms, and

AWAKENING THE GODS 321

big pails and mops and brushes. It was their business to
see that the theatre should be thoroughly clean for the
opening day, and the musicians who wanted to rehearse
felt, in spite of their European reputations, that at such a
moment they \vere merely secondary personages.

By the evening of the 25th everytliing was ready.
Prince Charles III. entered the regal box for the first
time. The six hundred orchestra stalls were occupied by
celebrities of literature, art, the press and society. The
Marseillais poet, J. Aicard, had written a prologue, which
was recited by Sarah Bernhardt. The poem told of a
sleeping beauty who reposed in one of the caves under the
hill of Monte Carlo. ^VU the noise of the exploding mines
and of the seven months of labour in building the theatre
had failed to rouse her. But now comes M. Romeo
Accursi with his admirable orchestra ; the melodious
sound awakens the beautiful nymph after a sleep of
centuries. She had seen the paintings of Polygnotus and
Apelles, the statues of Phidias and Praxiteles, the great
temples of antiquity, and now she opens her eyes to
witness a resuscitation of the arts and to bring green
palms "to the builder of the marvellous palace."
*■ Artists," she exclaims, " I have gathered pahns to
crown your heads. Blessed be you all ! you who have
awakened the gods ! '

At these words the whole audience rose and turned
towards Charles Garnier, who with his family occupied a
box at the far end of the theatre. A great ovation ensued.
Garnier was summoned to the prince's box, and the Cross
of Conunander of the Order of Saint Charles was sus-
pended by its ribbon round the neck of the illustrious
architect. This was done, on behalf of Prince Charles III.,
by her Iloyal Highness the Duchess Florestine d'Urach-
Wiirtemberg. The same evening Mesdames Miolan
Carvalho and Judic, and Messiems Diaz de Soriae and
Capoul sang. It will be .seen that from the very first
there appeared on tlie stage of Monte Carlo some of the
most celebrated singers, actors and artists of Europe.

CHAPTER VI

PHENOMENAL EXPANSION OF THE CASINO

IT may be said that the building of the Garnier Theatre
was the chmax which decided the fortunes of the
casino. No money was spared, and many ingenious
devices were adopted to ensure that the utmost pubUcity
should be given to the affair. This accomplished, success
was assured, and has now assumed such proportions as to
threaten embarrassment by its very completeness. At first
it was said that the theatre was too large for the casino :
now it was found that the casino was too small for the
theatre and for the public it attracted. While Garnier was
startling the world by the original structure of his theatre,
tlie architect Dutrou, who six years before had added the
Salle INIauresque to the old casino, knocked the central
part of this elementary structure to pieces, and built the
atrium in its stead. He also added a small vestibule in
front of the old entrance. Before two years had expired,
it was already evident that the Salle Renaissance and the
Salle Mauresque — now called the Salle Schmit — with their
seven roulette and trente-et-quaruntc tables, no longer
sufficed. Once more Charles Garnier was asked to lend the
casino the lustre of his name and the aid of his genius.
He consented ; and in 1880 built the Salle Garnier. The
chief original feature in this room is the subject of the
paintings which decorate the walls. They consist of female
figures representing the sports then popular. One of the
finest of the pictures, illustrating croquet — a game that
seems to-day to be almost forgotten — is by Clairin.

Now ensued a period of comparative inaction, which
continued for nearly a decade. In 1889 the celebration of

322

THE 1789 CENTENARY 323

the centenary of the French Revolution was to take place.
The Universal Exhibition in Paris would attract visitors
from all parts of the world. The ridiculous attempt to
boycott the hundredth anniversary of the downfall of the
Bastille, with the regime of Icttres de cachet, privilege and
autocracy, was sure to fail. The fact that some monarchical
governments refused to take part in the exhibition made
the great mass of the people all the more eager to be
present, and Monte Carlo was sure to feel the effect of
this rush to Paris. In 1888 the number of tickets issued
to travellers for the principality was 394,433 : the year of
the celebration of the centenary of the French Revolution
it was 503,397. The year following, 1890, when there was
no celebration, the number fell to 403,082.

By the year 1889 the entrance vestibule of the casino
had been much enlarged, giving more space for the cloak-
room and offices, and yet anotlier and a very beautiful
gaming-room had been added. It is called the Salle Touzet,
after its architect. The decorations are nearly as ex-
travagant as if designed by Garnier ; the paintings
represent Folly, Fortune, Night and Morning. It is difficult
to see whether any subtle moral is involved in the choice
of such subjects ; but in any case players are not often
disposed to look at pictures. When once a person is
absorbed in roulette or trente-et-fjuarante, the fine arts
are lost upon him. But they are not lost on those who do
not play, or who play rarely and only for small sums.
Such persons do exist ; they can be met even in the rooms
devoted exclusively to play. Perhaps it is thought that
some will frequent the rooms because of their beauty, not
intending to play. If they do, it happens more often than
not that they end by yielding to the temptation, and risk
at least a small stake. For their sakes it is to be hoped
that they will lose, for then they will be less tempted
to renew the experiment.

When, after the building of the Salle Touzet, the
demand for more room and still more room continued,
it was determined that this time, instead of further

324 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

elongating the casino an attempt should be made to extend
it laterally. In 1903 a large hall and two smaller ones
were added on the south side, facing the sea. They are
named after their architect, Schmit. It is in the large hall
that the celebrated painting of the three Florentine Graces
will be found. The ceilings of the two smaller rooms are
also beautifully decorated. The subject of one of these
paintings, by Galleli, is " Dreams." It is here reproduced.

In 1906 a gallery was built on the northern side, so as
to give a little moi-e room, and finally an extensive addition
was made in 1910.

By that time great alteration in the social conditions
of life at Monte Carlo had taken place, and the evolution
in the building of the casino corresponded with the modern
developments. We have seen that the number of
passengers who booked for the principality amounted
in 1889 to half-a-million ; by 1902 they just exceeded a
million, and in 1909 the number was 1,483,570. This of
course meant a complete change in the social position and
character of the majority of visitors. The democracy had
permeated even Monte Carlo. Aristocrats and very
distinguished personages still frequented the casino, but
they were lost in the crowd. In the earlier days every-
thing was free. To put a price on the seats at the concerts
or other entertainments was contrary to all traditions.
That some of the visitors played was sufficient for every-
one to be welcomed and given free admittance. The
magnificent theatre, with its wonderful display of decora-
tion, was open once or twice a day to anyone who chose
to enter. Here one of the best orchestras of Europe could
be heard from .540 orchestra stalls, each as good and as
comfortable as the other. There were no privileged seats
and no privileged persons ; no sifting of those who could
afford to pay from those who could not. The casino made
enough money to pay for all. But to-day it makes so
very much more money that it is far less generous ; such
is the destructive effect of too much success.

On the other hand, it must be admitted that with the

ARRIVAL OF THE MASSES 325

present crowd, if performances were gratuitous it is not a
beautiful theatre, holding barely six hundred spectators, that
would be required, but something more like a hippodrome.
To-day, even though twenty francs a seat is charged for
operatic performances and five francs for the classical
concerts, other performances have to be organised else-
where. The beautiful hothouses belonging to INIadame
Blanc, where horticultural rarities were cultivated with
such success, have been pulled down to make room for
the Palais des Beaux Arts. This edifice, close to the
Hotel de Paris, consists of a central hall 130 by 58 feet,
with a vaulted glass roof which gives a good light for the
exhibitions of painting and sculpture and the horticultural
shows that are held here. At the end of the hall is a large
platform, which is useful for meetings and various
ceremonies. From the right side of this hall opens a
smaller room, where some of the best pictures are usually
hung at the annual " Salon " ; and on the left a small
theatre has been built for light plays and operettas and
for lectures. The first Exhibition of Fine Arts took place
in 1892, under the presidency of Jerome and Carol us
Duran. Among some of the celebrated artists who have
assisted at these annual exhibitions may be mentioned
Alma-Tadema, Burne-.Jones, Detaille, Bonnat, Bartholdi,
Munkiicsy, J. P. Laurens, Stevens, J. L. Stewart and
Yon.

While thus building annexes outside its original
premises, the casino still continued to expand on its first
site. But the time had come for a radical change of policy.
The happy e(iuality of the early days could not be
maintained with the huge crowds that now frequented
the casino. A first attempt to discriminate was made by
establishing, in a small room upstairs, what was called the
Cvrclc Privc. The infatuation of players may be judged
by the talk that arose when this select gaming-table was
abolished. People said that it did not pay because it was
frequented almost exclusively by experienced players,
who risked only small sums and ceased playing as soon as

326 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

they had won something worth having. Obviously, if there
are such wise players they can play in this manner in the
public rooms as well as in a private room. Whether the
bank wins less at one table or more at another does not in
the least matter, so long as the average shows a good
profit. The fact is that the Cercle Prive was abolished
because the casino sought to divert the crowd by creating
the Sporting Club. Here none is admitted unless he
belongs to a good club in his own countiy and can show
a receipt proving that he has paid his subscription. As a
further attraction the game of baccarat is allowed at the
Sporting Club, and there is also good music provided by a
string band. This does serve to draw away some from the
casino, and yet the crowd is still too great.

In further increasing the size of the casino, a new
scheme was adopted. The casino had already extended
eastward as far as it could go on level soil. It had
reached the edge of the hill ; another extension would
necessitate building on the slope. This fact suggested that
to keep the new hall level with its predecessors a base-
ment must be constructed. Thus the size of the casino
might be increased downward as well as laterally. Here
a new casino, with new rules, would come into existence.
The Salle Touzet would be withdrawn from the public
and connected with the new saloon about to be built, and
in the basement on the slope of the hill a small and select
concert hall could be constructed. This would constitute
the private part of the casino. In 1911 the charge for
admission was £2 for the season ; this was increased in
1912 to £4. The new wing of the casino was built by
JSI. Medecin, and was completed in 1910.

The private portion of the casino is so large as to be
sufficient by itself to form what would in most countries
be considered a spacious casino. Apparently there will
never be room enough or enough tables. The more the
casino provides the more people come. Neither the
imposition of a charge for admission nor the doubling
of this charge has checked the increase of visitors. There

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are two reasons that make it worth while to pay for
entrance to this private and privileged part of the casino :
a scientific method of ventilation has been applied, and
every day exquisite music is rendered by the string
orchestra under the leadership of M. Louis Ganne. These
concerts, sometimes given both in the afternoon and the
evening, are perfect in their way, and enjoy the highest
favour among those who are sufficiently educated in
music to appreciate them. The concert-room is rather
low, but carefully ventilated. The air inlets, disguised as
sculptured bosses, may be seen in two corners of the
oblong ceiling ; an air-shaft runs round the room convey-
ing a current of air to all parts, but too high up to cause
any draughts. On the floor against the wall may be noted
the thermo-automatic machines. A similar contrivance
will be found in the gaming-rooms upstairs. Here, as the
mercury of a thermometer rises or falls, it automatically
opens or closes a valve. When the temperature has
reached the desired point the valve is closed by the rising
mercury, and this prevents the steam from entering the
heat radiators. The satin and velvet seats, the curtains
and carpets, are all crimson of a rich, bright tone, contrast-
ing with the sober oak panelling and the orchestra plat-
form. Roimd the edge of the blue-grey ceiling a few red
and yellow flowers strike a note of gaiety without too
much colour. The electric lights are masked with crystals
that add to the general sense of glitter and brightness,
in brilliant contrast to the sombre colouring of the hall.
The effect is that of restfulness amid deep and vivid
colour ; but not so much rest as to become somnolence,
so much richness as to become gaudiness, or so much
brightness as to disturb the sense of repose necessary to
the full enjoyment of refined music.

The Salle Touzet upstairs was built before the system
of ventilation was introduced, therefore it does not act so
well as in the last and more recent room, where architect
and ventilating engineer worked together. Ever since the
casino has existed, bitter complaints have been made con-

328 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

cerning the foulness of the atmosphere. It is true that the
pubhc is in this matter at once ignorant and unreasonable,
ftlany persons imagine that heat is a proof of the absence
of ventilation, others mistake draughts for ventilation.
But few realise that true ventilation consists in changing
the air imperceptibly and yet sufficiently to provide one
cubic foot of air per person per second. On the other
hand, if the air travels more than three feet per second, it
will cause inconvenience, leading probably to the closing of
the air inlets and the total destruction of the ventilating
system. Therefore inlets have to be very large so that
they may deliver the volume of air needed slowly and
not occasion a draught, or else they must be far enough
away for the air to be well diffused before it reaches those
present. If the accompanying illustrations are examined
it will be noticed that all round the glass roof of the Salle
Touzet, and at the angle of the ceiling and the wall of the
Salle Nouvelle, runs a band which may be taken to be
part of the ornamentation. In reality it is perforated
throughout and serves to admit air. Near the floor against
the wall, brass gratings will be seen : these are the outlets
leading to a shaft that goes up to the roof of the casino.
The intake for air is on the terrace and faces the sea. The
air does not merely pass over steam pipes that raise its
temperature. It is drawn along by a Blackman revolving
fan to the mixing room. Here the air is filtered, washed
and moistened by passing first through a cloth and then
through a fine spray of water. The fan can project forward
60,000 cubic metres of air per hour, and this is much
moi'e than is needed. Finally, there is a small room
containing four ozonisers, where 10,000 volts at high
tension can be produced. Each ozoniser can give half-
a-milligramme of ozone per square metre (about 35 cubic
feet) to 10,000 cubic metres per hour. After this the air
goes to a heating-room. Unfortunately a great mistake
has been made. The ventilating engineer does not seem
to have realised the difference between the JMonte Carlo
climate and that of more northern latitudes. He declared

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that when it was freezing outside the temperature would
be more than 50° Fahr. inside ; but it does not freeze
outside, and the result is that the temperature runs up
to from G4° to 74° inside. Visitors are too warm, and
complain that there is no ventilation. There is, on the
contrary, ample ventilation. The passage, diffusion and
ozonisation of the air is perfectly accomplished, but there
is overheating. The heat radiators should be convertible
into refrigerators. This will increase the cost considerably,
but it will have to be done sooner or later ; and the other
parts of the casino will also have to be ventilated.

The new and last built hall or gaming-room is
decorated in Empire style ; indeed it is sometimes called
la Salle Empire. Consequently the colours used are mainly
green and gold. There is something severe, majestic and im-
pressively handsome in these decorations. Designs in brass
on a green wall have a very artistic effect, rich and durable.
The ceiling is lofty, white predominating, except where
paintings represent the four principal divisions of the day.
There are fine lustres and ground-glass openings in the
ceiling that give a soft light in the daytime. With its
scientific ventilation, its lofty dimensions and artistic
decorations, this, the last addition to the casino, is one of
the most beautiful rooms ever built.

Three reproductions from photographs will give some
idea of the new and private part of the casino, to which
only subscribers are admitted. The outside view shows
how this addition has been built on sloping ground, so
that there is a basement containing the new small
concert - room. The two other photographs show the
interiors of the Salle Touzet and the Nouvelle Salle or
Salle Empire. The chronological map indicates that a
slight widening was effected in 1906 by the building of
a gallery on the northern side, where a cafe and a lounge
afford the players means of obtaining light refreshments
without having to go outside.

In the additions of late years a new method of pro-
cedure has been adopted. The Benazet and Francois Blanc

330 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

traditions reached their apogee with the Garnier Theatre.
Then nothing was spared. Money was no object. The
maximum of talent and of pubhcity alone was desired ;
these secured, the money Avould come of its own accord.
A little more or a little less perhaps — what did it matter ?
There would always be more than enough. It will be
easily understood with what eagerness artists especially
sought to serve such masters. The curse of all art is the
oft-repeated injunction that the M^ork must be done
cheaply ; Garnier, however, was alloAved to employ the
finest artists, the most skilful workmen, and to do
everything in the best style. For Garnier everything was
made in Paris. When, however, M. Schmit began to
build, the iron rafters, for instance, were brought to
Monaco in their crude state to be prepared and finished
on the spot. M. Touzet took more than six months to
build his part of the casino, because he had neither the
resources nor the money given to Garniei". All was done
much more cheaply. Efficient artists were employed, but
no celebrities ; there was no Garnier to commission
Clairin for the paintings. The best known of the new
school of artists recently engaged is M. Galleli. Though
more lofty, the Garnier Theatre occupies much less
ground than the structures built since that time — that is,
since 1878. But the recent buildings have caused no
sensation. They are beautiful, they answer their purpose ;
but they have not opened the floodgates of controversy,
they have not advertised the casino, they had not the
genius of a Francois Blanc behind them.

There is a phase of recent expansion that redeems
the casino administration to some extent from the ridicule
the title of their company did not fail to evoke. With
amusing persistence they would insist on calling them-
selves the society for sea-baths — Socicte anonyme des
Bains de Mcr et du Cercle des Etrcuigas. It sounded so
very innocent, though sea-baths might have been
obtained without the tremendous business of forming a
limited financial company, which is implied by the French

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FICTITIOUS SEA-BATHING 331

words Societe anonyme. But the extraordinary part of
this big business is that in spite of the huge capital readily
subscribed the joint-stock company never after all managed
to organise any sea-baths. There is a long, low building
that skirts the extreme south-west corner of the port, and
here there used to be some baths called les Thermes
Valentia, for which the casino was responsible. But instead
of bathing in the sea, the very few people who went there
had to bathe in the port. Fourteen years ago, before the
Shone ejectors were installed in this very corner, the
sewage of the Condamine flowed into the port. The iron
pipes which prolonged the sewers into the water could be
seen close to the spot roped off for bathers to swim in.
Now that the sewage, raised by the Shone ejectors, no
longer contaminates the water, the port improvement
works have brought a number of workmen on the spot,
and there is an increase in the shipping. Therefore if
to-day we have no sewage we have more ships ; and at
any rate to bathe in a port is not what is generally under-
stood by sea-bathing. Many persons who persisted hired
a boat and rowed out to sea to enjoy a swim. Some
preferred the less heroic dip from the small beach at the
Bas-Mcndin. In either case they took their sea-bath quite
independently of the great company which was floated
nominally for the purpose of providing the means of
bathing in the sea. With all the millions of money this
company has possessed it has never in the whole course of
its triumphant career, now covering half-a-century, been
known to give a genuine sea-bath to any person whatso-
ever. That it has been instrumental in providing sea- water
to put in a batliing-tub must be admitted, but what is
understood by Bains dc Mer is bathing in the open sea
from a beach.

Though this is just possible in the Bay of Larvotto,
the space is restricted. For various reasons sea-bathing is
not popular in the principality. Besides, Monaco is, in the
main, a winter resort and, even on the Mediterranean,
there are not many people who care for bathing in the

332 ]\IONACO AND MONTE CARLO

open air during the winter. But now the casino has
redeemed the promise the company's title imphes by
fav^ouring at least some sort of bathing. It has built a
thermal or hydropathic establishment of the highest class.
As if to emphasise the fact that this is its work, the baths
are on the casino premises, at the extreme end of the
celebrated terraces. Their position is shown in the
illustration here given, and it will be noted in what a
handsome white stone building they have been housed. It
would be a mistake, however, to suppose that the building
has but one storey. It has two or three storeys, only instead
of rising up they descend the side of the cliff to the sea
below. This, however, causes a grave defect. Constructed
as they are against the rock, the rooms afford no
possibility of being thoroughly ventilated, for in the
absence of mechanical processes no through draught can
be obtained. This is all the more serious for carbonic acid
gas and sulphuretted hydrogen escape into the atmosphere
as the result of the hydropathic treatment of some of the
patients. In all other respects the baths are well appointed
and luxurious. Outside there is a fashionable bar, where
strollers on the casino terraces may go to drink any of
the most celebrated mineral waters ; these are all stocked
here to gratify the cosmopolitan tastes of the numerous
visitors. The chief feature of the entrance hall, and, from
the point of view of art, of the whole building, is the
large picture facing the door. This represents water, or
rather the spirits of water, the undines, gambolling among
the rocks and gliding down the rapids. It is painted by
that artist of the new school to whom allusion has just
been made, M. Galleli of Rome.

Inside, under the direction of Doctor Albert Konried,
Imperial Councillor, almost every form of treatment can
be obtained. Of course there are ordinary fresh-water and
sea-water baths. There are all sorts of Turkish and vapour
baths ; massage under water, partial or complete massage ;
carbonic acid, electric light, hydro-electric baths ; treat-
ment with electricity and X-rays. The Zander or medico-

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BATHS AND H\T)ROPATHY 333

mechanical methods are fully provided here. Skilled
attendants are at the disposal of the patients, and a
complete cure can be carried out with every com-
fort and luxury. Though this is not the promised sea-
bathing, which after all is not particularly wanted, it
is a great inducement to those who wish to combine
hydropathic with climatic treatment.

CHAPTER Vll

CASINO MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL

WE have seen how rapid was the expansion and
how great the success of the casino. It now
becomes necessary to explain how this vast
enterprise has been conducted since its first success was
assured by the skilful management of ISI. Francois Blanc
and the extension of the railway to the principality.
M. Fran9ois Blanc died on the 27th July 1877, at Loueche,
in the Valais, Switzerland, where he went for a little rest.
He had then attained his seventy-first year, but his widow
was much younger. Madame Blanc now became the
principal shareholder, and, having actively assisted her
husband in the management, remained at the head of
affairs. We have seen that it was under her auspices that
the Garnier casino was built and the best traditions of
casino management faithfully maintained. Madame Blanc
did not, however, long survive M. Francois Blanc, but
died at Moutiers, in Savoy, on the 25th July 1881. By
the 14th of December 1882 the Casino Company was
reconstituted. The number of shares was doubled, raising
the capital from £600,000 to £1,200,000, divided into
60,000 shares of £20. Of these the Blanc family held no
fewer than 52,000. At the same time M. Camille Blanc,
the eldest son of M. Francois Blanc, was appointed Chief
Director of the company. As the success already
achieved went on increasing with giant strides, it was
felt that something must be done to prolong the con-
cession. According to M. Charles Limousin, who seems
to have been especially well informed in all that
concerns the principality, a meeting of shareholders

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was held on the 11th of January 1898, and agreed
to terms which were signed on tlie 16th of January
by his Excellency, INI. llitt, Governor-General of the
principality, and by M. Camille Blanc, representing the
casino shareholders. According to this agreement the
concession was confirmed for another term of fifty years,
dating this time from the 1st of April 1898 to the 1st of
April 1948. But the casino was to contribute on a much
larger scale to public purposes. P^irst a sum of £400,000
was to be paid, and at the expiration of the old treaty — that
is, in 1913— £600,000. Further, a contribution of £200,000
was to be given towards the construction of the harbour
so that there should be every convenience for commercial
navigation and for pleasure yachts. Already the quay to
tlie west of the port is completed, with a fine break-
water and lighthouse at the end. Near the beginning of
the quay a tunnel has been pierced through the rock of
Monaco so that trains can be run close up to the ship-
ping. The new breakwater or jetty, which affords a pleas-
ant and breezy walk, is 510 feet long. That on the other
side, the casino side, will be of the same length ; it is not
yet finished, nor are the quays. The latter are intended
for yachts. The space between the two jetties for the
ships to enter is 330 feet, and the water at the entrance is
260 feet deep. The commercial quay is 1290 feet long and
100 feet broad. The quay on the other side will be of the
same width, but shorter, and in the middle of it there will
be a mole about 360 feet long and 100 feet wide. The
average width of the port is 1350 feet, and the wall of the
quay on the commercial side descends 22 to 23 feet below
the surface of the water. It is therefore anticipated that
large ships will be able to come alongside.

The casino has not only to contribute to the port ; it
must also give £24,000 a year towards the engagement
of the best singers for the twenty-four annual operatic
performances. This is a subsidy of £1000 for each perform-
ance. There are further charges for the construction of
new roads, the upkeep of existing thoroughfares and other

336 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

matters with wliich the comfort of the pubUc is intimately
concerned. All these charges do not prevent the steady
increase in the value of the casino shares, now worth
about ten times their original price.

While M. Camille Blanc is the Chief Director of the
financial company that holds the purse-strings, the casino
itself is governed by a director-general and three directors.
M. L. JNIaubert is director of what is called " the Interior
Service." This comprises the games, the commissariat of
surveillance or police, and the employees. These functions
are so various, delicate and numerous that this director
has to remain at his post from the early morning till late
at night. What can be the advantage in becoming the
director of so prosperous a business and yet enjoying so
little leisure is beyond my understanding. In building up
a business, when success is not yet certain, hard work, and
even overwork, may be necessary. But success should
mean leisure — that is, the joy of having time to devote
to all manner of things that are not associated with
any sort of sordid, personal interest. In this department
there are several sub-directors and general inspectors who
are the intermediaries between the directors and the
strangers who frequent the casino. These inspectors and
sub-directors report every day whatever happens in the
gaming-rooms.

M. A. Martiny is director of what is called the
Exterior. He is a civil engineer, and his duty is to watch
over all the works undertaken or assisted by the casino in
various parts of the principality. He will have, for instance,
to discuss wdth the Board of Works Department of the
Government the nature of the new system of drainage
that must be applied to the principality, and what share
of this undertaking shall be borne by the casino. IM. J.
Sereron is at the head of the Financial Department, and
it is hardly necessary to explain his functions. Finally, last
but certainly not least, M. Frederic Wicht is the Director-
General. He attends to every department ; decides what
should be done when any perplexing question arises, or

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THE DIRECTORS OF THE CASINO 337

convokes the three other directors to consult with him.
The four directors together constitute the administrative
committee. They are more Hkely to meet when a question
raised in one service may possibly affect the other services ;
but, apart from such formal gathering, they are in daily
communication with each other. Their respective offices
are all in the casino building.

From one point of view the most important position
at the casino is held by M. le Direvteur des Jeiuv ; for
he rules supreme over the gaming-rooms and the gaming-
tables. His office is just behind the police or commis-
sioners' department, where all have to apply for admission
tickets, by the side of the gaming saloons and above
the doctor's room or surgery. A small, almost invisible,
door separates him from the nearest roulette-table. At
his desk any exceptional noise arising in the gaming-
rooms could be heard, and it would be only a matter
of a few seconds before the Chief Director appeared to
decide what had best be done. Nevertheless any sound
other than the clink of silver and gold, accompanied by
conversations in moderate tones and the usual announce-
ments concerning the game, is rarely heard. The order and
discipline maintained is so perfect that it is very seldom
anyone ventures to make a disturbance. Sometimes, how-
ever, a person may be seized with a violent attack of
hysterical screaming or laughter. In such circumstances
it is convenient to have the surgery, to which the patient
is swiftly conveyed, close at hand. The director can be
promptly summoned if other than medical advice is
needed. But it is from the opposite side of his office that
the more numerous calls are made. Here file past all day
long the applicants for admission, and here is the most
elaborate system of book-keeping so that " undesirables "
may be easily detected and summarily expelled. On such
occasions protests, at times rather vociferous, are apt to be
made, and then again the chief is there ; out of sight and out
of hearing, but within a few feet. As all the disputes that
arise are personal matters, they are delicate and difficult

338 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

to deal with. Much patience, tact and unruffled courtesy
are needed to settle them in such a manner as to maintain
the high reputation of the establishment.

The exclusion of visitors from the casino or the
refusal to grant admission is a matter that has always
given rise to much controversy. There is no regular police
inside the casino, but functionaries called commissaires or
commissioners. They are under a legal oath, and have the
right to arrest people, conduct them to the door and hand
them over to the i-egular police outside. No one, however,
is thrown out of the casino unless he misbehaves him-
self. If it is found that some person has gained admission
who has no business there, it generally suffices to watch
him carefully till he leaves and then refuse to renew his
entrance ticket when he presents himself again. The ideal
principle governing admittances is that no one should
enter who cannot well afford to lose all the money in his
pockets. Short of an inquisition into the private affairs
of every player it is quite impossible to apply such a rule.
But in any case no one in the neighbourhood is allowed
to ruin himself All persons established in the principality,
even if they belong to the liberal professions, such as
medical practitioners, are vigorously excluded from the
gaming-rooms. Nor are any inhabitants of the surround-
ing French Department of the Alpes-Maritimes admitted
unless they belong to a high-class club. It is not, how-
ever, with such as these that difficulties arise. Again all
holders of funds are excluded, however high their position
may be. For instance, the Public Treasurer for the Alpes-
]\Iaritimes is not allowed to enter the gaming-rooms. Nor
are priests or officers in uniform admitted ; and officers
who do not wear their uniform, but come from neighbour-
ing French and Italian garrisons, are also excluded. Yet
all this has been quietly accepted.

The exclusions from the casino being in a measure
based on the agreement with the Government, they are
regularly reported to the authorities. At the commissariat
of the Government for the surveillance of joint-stock

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EXPULSIONS 339

companies all such details have to be reported, together

with the full receipts of these companies. Thus what

the casino receives and the details concerning the

people it excludes are as well known to the Government

as to the directors at the casino. This guarantees the

public against all limited companies and such enterprises.

With regard to expulsions, each report made covers a

period of fifteen days, and in the season some twenty-five

' to thirty-five expulsions are made in a fortnight. As there

are so few visitors, comparatively speaking, in the summer

months, it is less easy for undesirables to escape detection.

Consequently, proportionately speaking, a larger number

are excluded. Thus in fifteen days of June 1911 no fewer

than fourteen persons were excluded, or nearly half the

number usually expelled during the most crowded winter

months. One among tliem was a man of very good

appearance, who could speak several languages. He

generally staked two louis at a time, and with imaccount-

able foolishness always played at the same table. Therefore

when an exceptional mnnber of bad louis was found at

this table and not at the other tables it was easy to watch

the players. The individual in question kept counterfeit

louis in his ticket pocket and good ones in his waistcoat

pocket. He staked two at a time so as to hide the bad

under the good. \Vhen questioned, he of course displayed

the good money, but the coDuiiissairc who arrested him

insisted on looking into the other pocket. Though the

player liad given a false name, his real name and history

were ascertained through the anthropometric bureau.

Looking over lists of persons excluded we find that
the most frequent cause assigned for such procedure is " ini
pn.s (le /iioi/cits," or '' cpuration." A considerable number of
persons loiter about in tlie rooms, and it is difficult to say
for what purpose. They do not play ; they must have
satisfied their curiosity as mere visitors. It becomes
evident that they have not the means to play, and in the
crowded condition of the rooms it is necessary to make a
clearance. Persons have been excluded for threatening to

340 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

commit suicide or for getting too excited and making a
noise. Others are sent away because they have given a
false name. Others again are reported by the poHce as
suspicious characters or because they have been expelled
from a club. The Paris police especially send a full de-
scription of rogues of various kinds. Then if a person
claims a stake which is not his he will be watched, and if
this happens often he is refused further admission to the
casino. One man was excluded for picking up from the
floor and keeping a louis which obviously did not belong
to him ; another because he frequented the company of
a band of German swindlers ; yet another because he
had been formerly convicted for theft. One individual was
accused of possessing a cardboard louis, which seems
innocent enough, for surely it would be impossible to play
with a piece of cardboard, whatever its shape and colour.
Another had seventeen coins bearing the head of Ferdinand
II. ; they were all perfectly good and sound, but such
coins are no longer current. Suspicion was excited in his
case because he persisted in speaking English but with a
German accent.

" Rrpresentant de Commerce " — that is to say, " com-
mercial traveller " or agent — is frequently inscribed in the
reports as the reason for refusing to renew an admission
card. The administration fears thatpersons who have money
which does not belong to them may attempt to win back
their own losses with it. This anxiety about those who may
play with their employers' money adds a shade of proba-
bility to the incredible but amusing anecdote told con-
cerning the captain of a German ironclad anchored at
V-^illefranche. This officer, so the story goes, lost not only
his money but also the money with which he was to pay
his crew. He thereupon simply but firmly demanded of
the directors that they should give it back. If not, he would
bring his ship round and bombard the casino. As an
officer and a gentleman, he could not survive the exposure
which was sure to follow if the money were not returned ;
but to save others from the same fate he might just as

DANGERS OF DISCIPLINE 341

well blow up the casino first. There would be time enough
afterwards for him to blow out his own brains.

In the face of the Ciipenick imposture, which is no
legend but a true story, there can be no doubt that such a
command, howev^er preposterous, would be strictly obeyed.
It will not be forgotten that at Ciipenick an individual
dressed himself as a captain and ordered some soldiers to
arrest the mayor and the members of the municipality of
that little town. They were to hand over to him tlie muni-
cipal cash-box, which, together with the accounts, he would
examine while they took their prisoners to Berlin. \A'^ith
true military discipline, all these orders were faithfully
carried out, and it was not until the soldiers reached Berlin
with their prisoners that the trick was discovered. But
the most refreshing part of the adventure was the intense
delight witli which it M'as received by the entire German
people, and the popularity the " Captain of Ciipenick " at
once acquired. It will be remembered that among many
other marks of sympathy showered upon him, several
ladies wrote letters offering to marry the popular impostor
as soon as he was liberated from prison. The German
people converted this notorious case into a national
manifestation against the absurdity of the unreasoning
discipline imposed by militarism. But with such unreason-
ing discipline on board the many ironclads that anchor
at V^illefranche, the directors of the casino might well
feel inclined to hesitate before admitting officers to the
gambling-rooms.

Originally, in the time of Charles III., the idea was
to maintain what might be termed a sort of buffer state
between the Government and the casino. There were
no direct personal dealings between the prince and the
casino directors. Now this intermediary office has
developed into something that is undefined but much
more useful. It is a sort of Board of Trade defending
public interests against the encroachments of private
companies. Thus, to affirm the principle of government
control, its representative has an office at the casino.

342 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

He does not intei'fere with internal affairs or with
the management, but he overlooks all the official docu-
ments and sees that efficient measures are taken against
fire, and that all the laws, rules and ordinances of the
principality are carried out. For such a post a person of
unimpeachable honour and high position is necessary. In
his hands are centred the accounts of all the companies ;
he can check any illicit proceeding, and he has to know
down to the last centime all the receipts made by the
casino.

To return, however, to the question of expulsions
from the casino : as a proof of the admirable manner in
which the books are kept and of the wonderful memory
of some of the officials, an interesting incident may be
mentioned which occurred in the presence of this high
functionary. One of the reasons frequently given for
refusing to issue or to renew a card of admission is that
the applicant is recognised as having on some occasion,
perhaps many years ago, applied for what is popularly
called the viatiquc or viaticum — that is, a loan of money
for travelling expenses on leaving Monte Carlo. Those
who play with large stakes are watched so that they may
be known, and this assistance is readily given, should they
ask for it. Before the war of 1870 a young English
medical student went to INIonte Carlo, and lost nearly all
his fortune, about £1000. He was obliged to apply for the
viatiquc to enable him to reach home. Subsequently he
went to Australia, and made a large fortune. Four or five
years ago he returned to Europe and went to JNIonte
Carlo. He had quite forgotten the little loan he had never
refunded. Not so M. Clement, one of the sub-directors of
the games. Though nearly forty years had elapsed he
recognised the erstwhile medical student. The Govern-
ment representative, present at the time, assures me that
the receipt signed in 1870 was found in less than ten
minutes. Of course the wealthy Australian did not demur
for a moment to repaying the money he owed, but, on the
contrary, was delighted at being found out so quickly, and

WTIAT THE CASINO WINS 343

overwhelmed with admiration for the wonderful organisa-
tion of the casino police. One or two of the employees
have been forty-five years in the service, and several
thirty-five years, ^'^ery little escapes notice, and those who
go to the principality are better known and better watched
than if they were in any other part of the world.

Of course the Government control is very useful in
collecting the necessary materials for the drawing up
of official statistics. But for such a control, the figures
given concerning the various enterprises carried out in the
principality and the nationality of the shareholders would
be difficult to obtain. Naturally the greatest interest is felt
in the prosperity of the casino, and the figures generally
tell of increased success. Thus last year the gross receipts
exceeded 39,000,000 francs but did not quite reach the
round figure of 40,000,000, or £l,GOO,000. But this
year — that is, the administrative year ending the 31st of
March 1912 — the receipts amount to 44,000,000 francs
(£1,760,000). Of this sum, 40,500,000 francs (£1,620,000)
comes from the gaming-tables, and the rest from the
theatre, the gas, the Condamine laundry, which still
belong to the casino, with £24,000 paid for the privilege
of frequenting the reserved or private part of the casino.
Though these are enormous receipts it must not be
imagined that the bank, as it is called when talking of
roulette or trente-et-quarante, wins eveiy day. We have
seen that in a year it has won £1,620,000 more than it
has lost, but it loses sometimes. To lose £4000 in a day
is quite a common experience. The highest loss the bank —
that is, the casino — has ever experienced in one day is, in
round figures, £16,000. But it is on record that in the course
of two or three especially unlucky days the casino lost
£32,000. On the other hand, the zero helping, the bank
usually wins, and when especially fortunate its winnings
are larger than those of the public. While the highest
record credits the public with having won in a single day
£16,000, there exists in the history of the casino the record
of a day when it is credited in the Government accounts

344 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

with having won £36,000. That is the largest profit
reaUsed in one day since the casino has been in existence.
Thus does the Government control the casino, taking
very great care to know all that goes on, so that these
huge receipts shall not be made without giving the public
some share in them.

CHAPTER VIII

THE CASINO AND ITS EMPLOYEES

TO superintend and manage all the tables, and con-
trol the crowds that gather round them, is a gigantic
undertaking. Few persons realise the amount of ad-
ministrative and organising skill that is necessary. It is true
that the enormous staff required was gradually recruited.
The casino has grown rapidly, but step by step, so that
more and more experience was acquired as the establish-
ment increased in size. To-day, however, to manage the
tables and to watch, many hundred persons are employed.
The exact figure in the height of the season of 1910-1911
was 530, and during 1911-1912 there were a few less —
namely, 525. Some of these employees are only engaged
for four months, others for seven months, and the rest all
the year round. There are many more applicants for these
posts than there are vacancies. The position has the
advantage of regular employment with the prospect of
a pension. As far as possible, the preference is given to
those who are already employed by the casino in some
other capacity. This affords some sort of guarantee ; they
are not strangers. Indeed the self-restraint and inherent
lionesty required is such, that perhaps one of the most
marvellous things in connection with the casino is the
very small number of robberies committed. Here we
have several hundred men doing work which requires
constant, concentrated attention, though it is not difficult.
Any pei'son of ordinary intelligence could learn what has
to be done in a day, if not in a few hours ; yet it must
require a good many weeks to get into the habit of doing
this promptly, and without error. Consequently a school

34,5

346 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

is occasionally held. Formerly it met in one of the spare
rooms giv^ing on to the gallery that surrounds the atrium,
but these are now all required for the ever-increasing staff
of the administration. In 1909 and 1910 there was no
school, and previously it was held at the Palais des Beaux
Arts.

On one occasion, I was allowed to attend. The chef de
pa?-tie, anxious to do the honours of the table, presented
me with a cap full of money. There were real five-franc
pieces, large and small rouleaux representing 500 francs
and 1000 francs in gold rolled up in paper, though in
reality it was only little round pieces of wood that were
thus carefully packed. Finally there was a bountiful
provision of bank-notes made of blue paper cut to the
size of 100-franc, .500-franc, and 1000-franc notes. Being
thus furnished with ample funds I was invited to play.
The pupils raked up the money 1 lost, paid me what I
won; and as, in the circumstances, there was no virtue
in restraint or moderation, I played most wildly. Unfor-
tunately, it never occurred to me to count how much
money I had on starting. Though my cap seemed as full
when I had finished as when I began, still the question
of space is not of much importance where bank-notes are
concerned, so that to this day I have not the slightest
idea whether, on the whole, I won or lost. One detail
I vividly remember. At a given moment 1 tried what had
been described as the Labouchere system, inquiring
whether the croupiers and their pupils present had ever
heard of it. They were not only unacquainted with the
system, but knew nothing about Mr Labouchere. Having
first expatiated on the renown and the talents of Mr
I^abouchere, I proceeded to play his system; but my
eloquence was wasted, for when it was seen that I was
losing all the time, I fear those present had but a poor
opinion of Mr Labouchere and all his works. The hearty
laugh of the chef de partie haunts me still, and makes
me feel that I made but a sorry show and had better have
said nothing about the talents of the late editor of Truth.

THE SCHOOL FOR CROUPIERS 347

Of course there were many persons having a sham
game of roulette beside myself, otherwise it would not
have been a sufficient test for the pupils. To constitute an
effective school it is necessary to have a real table and a
large crowd of players. One or two chefs dc partie act as
professors, and in a short time the candidate has acquired
sufficient skill and knowledge. The slight special technical
instruction and training necessary must be given by the
casino authorities themselves. The candidate, as he
appears before them, is in the position of an unskilled
worker. On the other hand he must be thoroughly trust-
worthy, well behaved, obliging and courteous, tidy, clean
in his habits, simply but well dressed. Such qualifications
are those of the poor clerk, and these worthy persons are
"a drug on the market." Therefore the applicants for
employment in the casino gaming-rooms are not in a
position to stand out for a higher salary. The fact also
that they are an international body, recruited from all
parts of Europe, makes it impossible for them to check
or control the supply of their particular form of labour.
On the contrary, their employment is greatly sought
after, and to be in the service of the casino is con-
sidered a very enviable privilege.

So far as the gaming-rooms are concerned, the position
of the employee is in one respect no longer so advan-
tageous. Of late the hours of labour have been increased.
Formerly the hours of attendance at the casino were
from noon to eleven at night, and the croupiers were on
duty one day five hours, the next six hours and so on
alternately. Now the tables are worked from ten in the
morning till midnight, and the employees have to attend
seven hours every day, divided into two shifts, one of
three and the other of four hours. At a private club, the
croupiers receive tips from the members who win, and
this constitutes quite a large income. Formerly at Monte
Carlo the authorities closed their eyes when gratuities were
given to the croupiers, but subsequently this was forbidden.
No croupier was allowed to accept anything whatsoever

348 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

from the players ; but to-day gifts are permitted, though
under certain rather severe conditions. First and foremost,
players must not give anything to individuals. The
assistant or sub-chief of the table is alone allowed to take
a donation, and this he does in a collective sense — that is,
for all those who are employed at the table. Any employee
who by word, sign or insinuation seems to ask for a gift
would be breaking the rules and exposing himself to a
reprimand, perhaps a penalty. The casino administration
has always been anxious to prevent social intercourse
between croupiers and the players. Invitations to meals
or any sort of hospitality offered to a croupier has always
been discouraged, and is sanctioned no more to-day than
in the past. Persons might try and make friends with
croupiers in order to induce them to co-operate in some
conspiracy to rob the bank. Perfectly honest, honourable
kindness might also have a disastrous effect. The croupiers
cannot aspire to very high salaries. Their occupation gives
promise of but a modest and unambitious existence. If,
however, they were occasionally invited by rich visitors to
luxurious hotels or villas they might become unsettled
and dissatisfied with their lot in life, and thus tempted to
some dishonest act. It is considered necessary to keep a
sharp watch not alone at the tables but generally. In the
rooms, those who watch, watch everybody and everything,
not only the croupiers. The administration does not
suspect them, and does not believe they are at all likely to
steal anything. It is the outsiders who try to steal. People
come from all parts of the world in the hope of finding
an opportunity of stealing. In spite of the elaborate
precautions taken, some of these rogues sometimes manage
to gain admission. But if a croupier did steal, the chances
are that he would not be caught in the act. He is more
likely to betray himself afterwards by his manner of living
or by indulging in unwonted pleasures.

IJndoubtedly there are not many pleasures in store for
the croupier, and his life at the wheel and at the tables,
watching the players and ladling out the money, must

SCARCITY OF A3IUSEMENTS 349

become terribly monotonous. If he is forbidden to make
friends with any of the players, and compelled to content
himself with the society of fellow-employees, his lot is not
likely to be a happy one. In this respect it does appear to
me that the two administrations of the principality, the
Government at JNIonaco and the casino at JNIonte Carlo,
have been very neglectful. They do not seem to have
considered that those whom they employ require some
pleasure and some joy in life. This is barely to be obtained
with the scant wages they earn, unless by some form of
organit,ation and collective action. To play a game of
cards or dominoes at a modest cafe is not a very festive
diversion, and costs a good deal. In England we should
probably have a club, a workmen's club, at a subscription
of threepence a week, which would be cheaper than cafes,
though not conducive to good manners or sobriety. There
would also be better clubs for those who could afford to
pay more. Then the various sports provide distraction, but
at Monaco the sports are organised for the strangers, for
the visitors, rarely for the inhabitants.

The one diversion is the band, and it is a good band,
which plays two or three times a week. But the Place
d'Armes is small, one of the few damp spots in the
principality, situated in a sort of a canyon formed by tall
houses on one side and the rock of INIonaco on the other.
It is so placed as to afford a passage for the coldest wind
that ever blows in these favoured resorts. The climate,
however, is so good that even in this badly selected spot
it is generally very enjoyable to walk round the band-
stand, listening to the music. Those who say that Monaco
is a sink of iniquity where every vice flourishes should go
and see the people listening to the music. It has been a
great pleasiu'e to me to attend these performances, and I
have always been grieved to find that no strangers were
present. I'he excellent behaviour of the people, the
absence of any horseplay, the classical beauty of some of
the women, enhanced by their modest behaviour and very
simple dress, would set a wholesome example to the

350 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Monte Carlo crowd. Perhaps that is why so few of the
strangers at Monte Carlo ever take the ti'ouble to see how
the people of the principality live. But too much has been
done for these strangers, and not nearly enough for the
Monegasques, or those who have become de facto Mone-
gasques by electing to earn their living in the principality.
Among these the employees of the casino represent the
majority. As the population is close upon 20,000, count-
ing women and children, and the casino employs at least
3000, who are nearly all adult males, it will be seen that
not many breadwinners remain to work for other enter-
prises. Therefore the provision of means of enjoyment,
which, I plead, should be largely increased, would in the
main benefit the employees of the casino and their
families.

First, there is no such thing as a theatre for the princi-
pality. The people cannot go to the casino theatre ;
though there is no reason why a popular representation
should not occasionally be given at the casino. On the
14th of July, the National Fete Day — the " Independence
Day " of France, for it is the anniversary of the downfall
of the Bastille — the Grand Opera and all the theatres are
thrown open to the public free. Formerly, on the prince's
birthday, the gaming saloons were open to everyone,
which was far from being the same thing. But it was not
merely the people of the principality who profited by this
free admission. Great crowds arrived from Nice, Menton
and other places where the inhabitants are strictly for-
bidden to enter the gaming-rooms. The chance, a unique
chance in the course of the whole year, of a nibble at
forbidden fruit brought ever-increasing numbers of curious
folks, so that the crowd became unmanageable. Therefore
the casino was closed earlier on the prince's birthday, and
then earlier still, till at last it was closed altogether. This
is better, for now there is at least one day of complete
rest in the year. What was possible twenty years ago is
out of the question to-day. Naturally, the crowds of
people were very different from the ordinary players, and

THE PEOPLE AND THE BAND 351

some of them were rather rough and vulgar. On the other
hand, very few of them played ; their chief motive in
coming was mere curiosity. To " see the beasts feed "
was the main idea. With what sort of amusement did
these rich foreigners feed themselves ? Perhaps it is as
well that the wealth-producers should no longer be
allowed to see, be it only on the prince's birthday, how
the wealth-consumers scatter the fruits of industry.

There is a project for enlarging the quay that faces the
port at the Condamine. The small beach and the shallow
water might be built over so as to form a broad open
promenade, much better sheltered than the Place d'Armes,
with a splendid view of Monaco on one side, jMonte Carlo
on the other, the port and the sea in front. This situation
is within easy access of the industrial population of the
principality, and here they could gather at moments of
leisure. Room might also be found here for a theatre, and
there certainly would be plenty of space for marionettes
or Punch and Judy shows on holidays for the children.
But ijF the casino has been built at Monte Carlo without
adding much to the joys and pleasures of the population,
what can be said of tlie other Imge structui'C, the Ocean-
ographic Museum at Monaco ? In Paris some 5000 persons
have asked to hear the popular lectures given at the
Oceanographic Institute. These are not lectures for
students, but for workmen, tradesmen, for the people at
large. What has been done at Monaco for tlie same class
of people — -the employees of the casino and the trades
and industries of the principality ? \Vhat would happen,
for instance, to a grocer's assistant who had some inkling
that many of the things he sold came from over the seas ;
or, perhaps, to a labourer employed in the casino gardens
who vaguely knew that the sea had also its gardens and
its vegetation ? I^et us suppose that after seeing the high
and mighty and the ambassadors of great nations take
part in the inauguration of the Oceanographic Museum,
one of these humble individuals determined to go and
inaugurate the museum on his own account. What would

352 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

happen ? His first experience would be that of having
to pay a franc for entrance. This sum deducted from his
slender wages would be a consideration. Once inside,
what help would he find, when help is most needed, just at
the dawn of intellectual life, when the hesitating spirit does
not know whether it is worth while to make an effort, or
whether it is not better to be content with mere stagnant
existence ? Obviously, popular lectures are needed in
Monaco as in Paris, and on Sundays the museum must be
thrown open free to the people. Some competent and,
above all, some tactful cicerone, to explain and help
forward those who are willing to learn, should be present
at such tiines.

Here is a population of 20,000 people without whose
labour and industry Monaco and Monte Carlo would have
been impossibilities. What share have they in the results ?
They have been paid wages and salaries, very poor salaries,
especially in the Giovernment employ, but this much they
must have received even if the casino and the museum
had been dead failures. What have they received for
contributing to one of the most stupendous successes ever
achieved ? In towns that are quite poor better provision
has been made for the amusement of the people. This
great and discreditable omission will, I am satisfied, be
rectified in the near future ; but it is no honour to the
principality to have delayed so long.

Unless there are some joys, diversions and pleasures
within easy access the position for men who are earning, if
it be a sufficient, nevertheless a very modest income, is
fraught with tremendous temptations. Doubtless as things
are under the harsh law of supply and demand the croupiers
receive perhaps even a little more than their actual
market value ; but what an atmosphere to live in ! " It
seems," one of them remarked to me, " as if money had
lost its value at the casino. We see what to us represents
a year's salary lost and won with the levity we might
ourselves display over penny stakes should we have a
game of cards at home." These men, living in needy

SALARIES AND DIVERSIONS 353

circumstances, are handling thousands and thousands of
pounds in gold and notes, but not as the paying clerks at
a bank handle equally large sums. At a bank there are
cheques and other written evidence to act as vouchers
for every transaction. There is nothing of the sort on the
gambling-tables. The money is raked in and lies in heaps.
Those who watch may keep some inental count of the
1000-franc notes, for, after all, they are not so very
plentiful, and 6000 francs is the roulette maximum of
what can be staked at a time. The five-franc pieces are too
big ; and, in any case, are not worth the trouble of
stealing ; but the small gold piece counts for four times
as much, and is far easier to deal with by sleight of hand.
When several hinidred gold pieces have been raked in
and lie in a heap under the employee's hand it is abso-
lutely impossible for anyone watching to know exactly
how much money is there. The gold flows in and out
so constantly and rapidly that the disajipearance of a few
pieces must of necessity remain unnoticed.

Formerly the highest salary that a croupier could hope
to earn was £12 a month. Now this has been raised to £l7.
All the services connected with the casino have been
gradually improved. The change has not taken place
suddenly, on any one particular day, but during the last
twenty years there has been a general increase in wages or
salaries varying from 25 to 33 per cent. From these wages
nothing is deducted for pensions or sick funds. Formerly
the administration never abandoned widows or orphans
of its employees. But there was no rule ; it was merely a
matter of good feeling. To-day the administration puts
aside a sum of money yearly to build up a pension fund,
something on which the employees can rely, apart from
all good feeling, and which would continue to exist even
if the casino were closed. As for what is collected at the
tables, that is an irregular asset. At one table some
fortunate player may be very generous, at another most
of the players may lose ; and it is only those who win that
make presents. It has been proposed to pool all the

354 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

receipts so as to obtain something more like a regular and
reliable average, but this would need the installation of an
office, a book-keeper — in fact, a small administration. By
leaving each table to deal with its own collection-box, the
division of the money is easily managed, and without any
book-keeping.

Another matter in which the employees are greatly
concerned, though it does not much affect the croupiers,
is the terrible overcrowding of the services in the base-
ment of the casino. There is absolute lack of room.
Gaming saloons have been added to one another without
thought of the employees, who also needed rooms. Indeed,
the growth of the casino has been very like that of the
prickly pear cactus. A big fat leaf sprouts out of the side
of another similar leaf. Then there come a second and
a third, without plan or general design, actuated solely by
the desire to exist. Apart from the fact that more gaming-
tables need more croupiers to attend to them, more
concerts, more theatrical representations, ballets and
entertainments of all sorts have also to be provided for the
ever-increasing crowd of visitors. An extra concert-room
was built in the newest part of the casino, and a small
band detached to play at the Sporting Club, together with
another small orchestra to play occasionally in the atrium.
While all this was done, and done somewhat eagerly, no
one seemed to consider that the increased contingent of
singers and actors, musicians and dancers needed some
place to dress and to wait in till it was their turn to
perform. Then there are the rehearsals, ever increasing in
number and in frequency. These again were to a large
extent forgotten, so that to-day the congestion of the
services has become intolerable. Everyone concerned
admits that something must be done, and done at once.

Of course all this should have been carefully thought
out as the new wings were one by one added to the
casino. To make up for the deficiency, it is now proposed
to utilise the space between the far end of the casino and
the side and back of the Cafe de Paris. The slope of the

OVERCROWDED 355

hill might be bridged over, and underneath offices built
that would be on the same level as the basement of the
casino, thus providing the room needed for the various
services. This would also give more space for the venti-
lating air-shafts, mixing-chambers, etc. For the moment,
the crowding below the casino is appalling, and the
heat at times beyond endin-ance. The people employed
are thus exposed to the risk of catching cold and of being
unable to perform the work for which they are engaged.
This is another example of the evil of too much success.
Things get out of hand and out of joint. All concerned
are overwhelmed with work. There is no opportunity for
relaxation. Yet in spite of all the hurry, stress, strain and
effort blunders are made and very important matters
forgotten. Managers, organisers, directors, might one and
all have had happier lives if less successful, but they could
not check the rising tide of popularity.

CHAPTER IX

BEHIND THE SCENES AT ROULETTE

NEEDLESS to say, by reason of his long personal
experience, the director who governs the gaming-
rooms is probably the greatest living technical
authority on the games played at Monte Carlo. He is,
for example, one of those very rare persons who pro-
fess themselves to have solved the problem as to what
is really the advantage that the bank obtains from the
refait in trcnte-et-quarante. The peculiar feature of this
problem is that no one seems to know how it can be
worked out, and doubtless those who have considered
the matter will be somewhat incredulous regarding the
methods employed by the director. But the advantage
of consulting a person in such a position, is that although
his methods of calculation may be theoretically incor-
rect, we can nevertheless place the most implicit re-
liance on his statement as to the result. Such absolute
confidence is justifiable because it is not based merely
upon a mathematical theory, but is the outcome of years
of personal experience : experience of tables and of actual
play that is unequalled in the world's history. Such an
opinion, based upon this conclusive practical test, coin-
cides with the opinion of the great majority of players.
It agrees that the refait at trente-et-quaranie is not
quite so advantageous to the bank as the zero at roulette.
By this time the casino authorities must be well aware
which of the two games brings them the greater profit.
Therefore if the player can afford to play in gold, and is
content with the simple chance, he will find that the
brokerage charged for playing is a little less at trente-et-

356

LATE HOURS 357

quarantc than at roulette. The greatest advantage,
however, appears to be for those who stake 1000 -franc or
500-franc notes, insuring them against the refait. The rate
of insurance is only 10 francs for 1000 francs, or 1 per
cent. ; but it should be two or three francs more per
1000 francs. Very few players, however, pause to make
these calculations. If gamblers carefully calculated, neither
the refuit nor the zero would suffice to produce the
enormous fortune the casino represents. Another proof
of how little heed is paid to such considerations is the
fact that trente-et -guar ante does not attract so many
people. In the height of the season of 1912, there were
seventeen I'oulette and only six trente-et-quarante tables
in the casino. There were also three more tables at the
Sporting Club, and these latter are kept going till four
in the morning. In answer to my protests, I was told
some persons conceive that enjoyment is impossible in
the daytime and that it is commonplace, almost vulgar,
to get up before lunch. The casino seems to think it is
bound to cater for all these aberrations. This was not so
always. Once upon a time Monaco professed to be a health
resort. When people said it was very imhealthy to go
into the overheated and unventilated gaming-rooms, the
answer was that the casino closed early and then there
was absolutely nothing to do but to go to bed, which was
a very good thing for everybody, but especially for the
delicate. To-day a few foolish persons have decreed
otherwise, and the casino doubtless thinks wisely that
those who are weak enough to yield to such silly fashions
will be weak enough to lose their money. The pity of it
is that the poor croupiers and the club servants have to
sit up in this unwholesome manner to wait on the folly of
such people.

One of the most trying and humiliating conditions of
this employment is that employees may sometimes im-
agine they are suspected more or less of theft. There has
been, of course, especially in the past, a good deal of pilfer-
ing, and the process of sifting the honest from the dishonest

358 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

required time. But many of the stories of this thievery
are obvious exaggerations. For instance, it has been
seriously stated, and in print, that special waistcoats and
boots were manufactured for the employees with crafty
contrivances for the concealment and storing of stolen
•20-franc pieces. However, without any such thieves'
pockets, better fitted to betray the wearer than to assist
his peculations, it is impossible entirely to remove oppor-
tunities for dishonesty. One cannot, for example, forbid
an employee to rub or scratch the back of his neck. Yet
this simple and ordinary action may enable him safely
to slip a gold piece under his collar and down his back.
The detection of such small thefts is so difficult that the
best precaution, as already stated, is to watch the employees
after they have left the casino. This is one reason why
such a large nuinber of persons is employed outside the
principality. Their mission is to shadow not only the
doubtful characters who frequent the casino while living
at Nice, Menton and elsewhere, but also the employees
who visit these places M^hen off duty. If they were found
to spend more money than their visible means appeared
to justify there would be reason to suspect that they had
discovered some method of robbing the bank. Dropping
20-franc pieces down the back was at one time a trick of
constant occurrence.

In discussing these and similar practices with M.
Maubert. whom 1 had the good fortune to meet, the
director became quite enthusiastic concerning the wonder-
ful honesty of the croupiers. Recently three of them had
been detected and dismissed for stealing. But what was
that ? There were 530 such employees, it was only a half
per cent. Where, in the midst of similar and constant
temptation, would only a half per cent, of black sheep
be found ? Without actually stealing, some of the em-
ployees might pretend that they were able to influence
the wheel. If they found a dupe who was ignorant enough
to believe them, and fortunate enough to win, they might
expect and receive a gratuity. But it is obvious that

THE HONEST CROUPIER 359

this could not be done often, as most persons know it is
quite impossible to influence the wheel. It is a fraud to
make any such pretence, and if an employee were found
out in an attempt so to impose on a player he would be
instantly dismissed.

As M. Maubert talked upon this topic I could not
help recalling the oft-told story of the pinch of snuff. In
that case the employee was quite innocent : he did not
know that his pinch of snufF was being used by clever
swindlers to make money. They induced greenhorns to
stake on red by asserting that the employee was their
confederate, and that his taking a pinch of snufF was the
signal agreed upon to indicate that the wheel would be
so twisted as to cause the marble to fall in red. If red
did win, the impostors claimed a large share in the profits,
which was rarely refused : if the marble preferred black
they proinptly disappeared.

There also came to my mind another story which has
been related in nearly all the books and most of the articles
published upon this subject. Here, an employee who dealt
out the cards at tre nte-et-quarante had a prepared pack
skilfully passed to him under a bank-note. His colleagues
thereupon played the maximum, and won every time. If
they had been more prudent and less avaricious they would
have contrived to lose now and then in order not to
awaken suspicion. As it was, their extraordinary and
inexplicable luck so impressed the chef cle partie that he
stopped the game and counted the cards. The trick was
at once discovered, and the employee who had received
the prepared pack promptly arrested. But his accomplices
had ainple time to escape with their winnings. It
is said that a grocer at Nice supplied 70,000 francs for
the carrying out of this plot. Three others, one of them
the owner of a cafe at Nice, divided the grocer's money,
and it was arranged that they should stake the maximum
of 12,000 francs as soon as the signal was given. Though the
trick was discovered before all the prepared cards had been
utilised, the conspirators are believed to have netted close

360 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

upon half-a-millioii francs. M. Maubert was somewhat
reticent when I referred to this well-known story. He did
not deny that something of the sort had occurred, but
he could not remember what fate had befallen the un-
faithful employee. The point was that prepared cards could
only be used when, as in this case, the croupier who dealt
them out was himself one of the conspirators ; but then
he could not escape detection, and no one would take part
in a robbery if he were absolutely certain of being arrested.
As a matter of fact, however (according to one version
of the tale), the conspirators attempted to take away by
leger de mains as many cards as they had brought with
them, but they had not got back the full number when
the game was suddenly stopped. Had this been done,
counting the cards would not have proved anything. In
any case such is the version given in an anonymous and
scurrilous book written by a person who professes to have
been a police detective in the employ of the casino.

As many discreditable stories given by this ex-
policeman are constantly reappearing in slightly modified
garb, and sometimes in respectable publications, I
inquired why some answer was not made. M. JNIaubert
said there was a police detective who had been dismissed
a good many years ago. But as a rule attacks and
scurrilous stories were allowed to pass unnoticed. It was
not necessary, he added, with a smile, to point out that
the casino had ample means of replying. But the casino
was like Caesar's wife, and, being above suspicion or
reproach, it might be a degradation to attempt any
defence. Besides, these attacks generally defeated their
own ends. There had been insulting hoardings put up at
Nice. The casino could have got rid of these by other
than the childish device of throwing sulphuric acid over
them as the ex-policeman in question professed to have
done. He also pretended there had been negotiations with
the anarchists to prevent them from blowing up the
casino. This, too, was pure romance, on a par with the
legend of bombs that were supposed to explode under

BLACKMAILING THE CASINO 361

the i-oulette- table when anyone won too much ! The
only thing, M. Maubert went on to say, that had really
taken place, happened some years ago. A man had
placed liis hat on a mantelpiece. There was a petard hid
inside, and when it burst it made a very alarming noise,
but no one was injured.

To-day the attacks made against the casino had
generally a double meaning. There had recently appeared
a pamphlet entitled " On vole a Monte Carlo." The exact
equivalent of on does not exist in the English language.
It means anyone or everyone, and is so delightfully vague
that it is a very safe term to use. Thus this title might be
translated, "They rob at Monte Carlo." Most persons
would imagine that the author of the pamphlet was
accusing the Monte Carlo casino of stealing. If, however,
the casino made a complaint it could easily be proved that
there were pickpockets and other thieves at Monte
Carlo, and that nothing had been said against the honour
of the casino or its management. Blackmailing and thiev-
ing was all on the other side. From all parts of the world
people came in the hope of plundering the bank at Monte
Carlo ; but M. Maubert agreed with me when I pointed
out that the cases when an unfair or fraudulent advantage
was obtained over the bank must be very few, otherwise
it would not be necessary to dish up over and over again
the same stories in the different books and newspaper
articles that appeared.

Putting aside, however, the question of plots and
conspiracies, or deliberate attempts at robbery which all
experience proves are as rare as they are impracticable,
the most serious point, that which does exercise the minds
of some quite reasonable persons, is whether the wheel at
roulette may be so turned or the marble so thrown as
at least jiartially to influence the result. For instance, is
it possible to make the marble fall more often in one half
than in the otlier half of the wheel ? Indeed, the popularity
of playing on Ics vuiiins indicates that the public; does
imagine that the marble is likely to fall again in the same

362 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

part of the wheel, for the croupier may use exactly the
same amount of force the next time he throws the marble.
M. Maubert, however, was very positive as to the absolute
reliability and mechanical precision of the instrument. All
the stories about pinching the partitions and playing to
the defect so caused were mere nonsense, and he invited
me to examine the roulette myself and see if there was
anything that could be squeezed or so altered as to enable
a player to win. One man, he argued, may make the
wheel go round more often than another, but the result is
equally uncertain in either case. Still, I urged that by dint
of repeating the same movement it might be rendered so
liabitual that each man would develop individual char-
acteristics producing results in accordance with his special
idiosyncrasies. In a general sense the action of walking is
the same for all ; yet the wear of our boot-soles shows
emphatically that there are considerable differences in our
manner of walking. Some of the casino employees turn
the roulette-wheel almost as often as they take steps in
walking. Just as they tread over their heels or wear their
soles in a particular way, may they not hit one side of the
wheel more frequently than the other ?

This, apparently, was a new argument, for INlaubert
did not answer at once, but proceeded to examine the
heels of his own boots, and then was delighted to find
that my heels were damaged in the same way as his
own. After that he stood up and pressed his feet on the
floor, and, having sat down again, concluded that, in spite
of the delicate anatomy of the human foot, my com-
parison with the wear of our boot-soles was far too rough
to apply to so well-balanced and precise an instrument as
the roulette. Of course the arm might be as strong as the
leg, so that the muscular force expended in the first
impulse might be as great, and might likewise differ
widely with each individual. But that would only govern
the number of times the wheel and the marble went
round and not the termination — that is, when, where and
how the marble and the wheel stop. Practical tests,

INFLUENCING THE WHEEL 363

however, are more convincing than words, and if I would
come on the morrow half-an-hour before the doors were
open to the pubhc I could not only examine the tables
for mj^self but see how carefully they were tested each
day before the play began. For this purpose no fewer
than four different functionaries are appointed. There
must be present a representative of the engineering
department, a representative of the ai-chitectural depart-
ment, a controller from the cleaning department, and a
sub-director of the games.

On the morrow, when all these functionaries had
gathered, and M. Maubert and myself were ready, to-
gether with several attendants, one of them carrying a
lantern, we penetrated the silent, vast, empty gaming-
rooms. It was a strange experience, and reminded me of
the search made at Westminster under the Houses of
Parliament before the opening of a new session, for fear
there might be concealed somewhere a second edition of
Guy Fawkes. The most important part of the inspection
is to make certain that the wheels are on a perfect level,
though it is difficult to see how the level can be disturbed
short of an earthquake. Thei'e is an arched brass frame
that fits precisely across the wheel while bridging over
its handle. In the centre of this instrument there is a
spirit level, and thus every wheel is tested every day.
Obviously, if the level were not absolute and the wheel
tilted to one side this might influence the result. Still
further to secure the stability and true level of the wheel
it is not put on the roulette-table at all. Certainly it
seems to be part and parcel of the table ; as a matter of
fact there is nothing in the middle of the table but a big
round hole. In this hole is fitted an entirely separate case
or table, which is made of bronze or gun-metal : this
latter is firmly fixed to the floor independently of the
large wooden table by which it is surrounded. This
wooden table is also very strong and solid, and firmly
riveted to the floor, for the players in their excitement
are apt to push or lean against it somewhat violently. No

364 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

shaking, however, of the table can affect the wheel,
because it is on a different and an immensely heavy stand.
The inner metal table that holds the wheel is beyond the
reach of the public. It is hedged round by the cagnottes
or cases that hold the money, and protected on each side
by three croupiers. Thus it is absolutely out of the reach
of the players sitting or standing round the tables ;
though it is difficult to see what they could do even if
the wheel were nearer at hand.

After the question of securing a perfect level comes
that of the pivot. In the centre and under the wheel there
is a metallic tube about four inches long and one inch in
diameter. This is the pivot or axle fitting into the rising
centre of the wheel. The latter is flat underneath and
arched above. Thus there is much more space in the
centre than at the edges. It is of course in the middle
of this, the thickest part, that the pivot is introduced.
To receive this pivot there is the metallic tubing and
the top inside is convex. On the other hand, the pivot
at its summit is concave. Thus where the two meet there
is a sort of cup-and-saucer effect, and that is the most
delicate and fragile part of the whole apparatus. The
fit of the pivot into the centre of the wheel must be
perfect, and it must be kept well oiled and thoroughly
clean. The little point that enters the concave part of
the pivot has also to be watched, and replaced if it shows
any sign of wear. It was not without a certain emotion
that I saw these wheels lifted out of the gun-metal tables
on which they rest. The millions of money that had
changed hands at the bidding of this simple mechanism
confers a strange interest on these veritable wheels of
fortune. How many persons have thought and puzzled
and wondered how to induce them to turn to their own
advantage ; and here was the whole thing before me,
inside and outside, all made plain and visible. There
was nothing concealed and nothing to conceal. I was
welcome to touch, feel, move, lift, examine outside,
inside or below, anything I chose and verify for myself

z

o

I

THE INSIDE OF THE WHEEL 365

if it were possible in any way to tamper with the
apparatus.

Nor was this all. Even the drawings made for the
constructors of the roulettes were placed at my dis-
posal. They used to be made at Strasbourg, but now
they are manufactured in France. The drawing here
reproduced gives a section of the wheel just lifted out and
held above the well. Arrows marked A show the little
point and the convex indenture which it enters and where
it turns. The shading indicates the material used for the
different parts. The point is of chromated steel. Other
similar points are kept ready at hand to replace those in
use as soon as they show any sign of wear. Also it is just
conceivable that, if a very violent shock was given to the
wheel, the point might break. On one occasion a point,
probably because there was a flaw in tlie metal, did break,
and made a slight noise in the cylinder. The game was
at once stopped. The wheel was lifted off, a new point
adjusted and everything put in order before the play Avas
renewed. The most likely or frequent damage is done
to the table, not to the cylinder or wheel. The sectional
drawing as well as the observations made above explain
that the table is a separate structure. The green cloth with
which it is covered and on which the players stake their
money wears out and is occasionally torn, but it is very
rare anything happens to the wheel. The level, so carefully
tested every day, hardly ever changes, especially now that
the table which holds the roulette is made of gun-metal.
But even if the level were uneven it would only influence
the side where the marble fell into the wheel and not the
part of the wheel into which it fell. The chances would
remain the same. As a matter of fact the tables are
inspected mainly for cleaning piu'poses and to see that
they have not been tampered with during the night. The
daily ceremony also inspires confidence among the playei's,
and this is perhaps necessary, considering the reckless,
thoughtless talk that is too often heard. For instance, it
has been said that the result might be controlled by

366 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

electricity ; but the bronze with which the table is made
is a non-conductor, and of greater importance is the fact
that the marble, that must be loose, that cannot be
connected with anything, is of ivory, on which electricity
has no action whatsoever. Everything is foreseen and so
watched that accidents are most improbable. Even the
lozenge-shaped obstacles are touched every day to make
sure that they remain firmly affixed.

A story has been told of a man who succeeded in
hiding himself under one of the divans of the casino
until everyone had left. According to another version of
the same story, he did not hide, but got in at night
through a window that was not properly closed. These
stories are all so old that in the course of ages their
details begin to vary. But the important point is that,
being alone in the gaming-rooms, he went to a roulette-
table and pinched some of the partitions so that it would
be more difficult for the marble to enter between those
thus rendered smaller. Having created this defect in the
wheel, and having also succeeded in getting out of the
gaming-rooms without being detected, he returned next
day and made a large amount by staking on the numbers
facing the partitions he had not squeezed and rendered
narrower. This story may seem fairly plausible to those
who have had no opportunity of examining the wheel
closely. The first thing I did was to take two of these
very partitions and squeeze them as hard as I could
between my thumb and forefinger. In this practical
manner I was able to convince myself that they were
far too strong to be moved unless by the use of tools.
But more important than this difficulty is the fact, not
realised at a distance, that these partitions are very wide,
and much wider than the marble. They seemed to me
more than an inch wide, and care is taken that the
diameter of the marble shall not exceed two-thirds of
the space that separates the partitions between which
it settles. Therefore if it were possible to move some
of these partitions sufficiently seriously to impede the

TAMPERING WTTK THE ^\^EEL 367

marble when about to fall between them, such alteration
would be extensive enough to attract attention. Of course
with a small toy roulette this could be done, because a
very slight pinch would be enough to make a difference,
and yet it could not easily be detected. In reality, as
M. Maubert observed, if such tricks were possible, the
casino would not exist.

M. Maubert then proceeded to demonstrate what
I had not realised before nor heard discussed, yet it
seems to be far and away the most important factor :
between the axle or pivot and the partitions whei'e the
marble ultimately settles the wheel rises up to its centre.
It is dome-shaped : not a very pointed or cone-shaped
dome ; on the contrary, a comparatively flat dome, though
steep enough for the marble to run down very rapidly.
It consequently requires a pretty strong impulse for the
marble to run up the sides of this dome-like centre of
the wheel. The dome in question is made of very smooth,
highly polished brass, and beautifully and evenly rounded.
These facts must be taken into consideration, together
with another important detail. The wheel is placed at the
bottom of what has often been described as a well. This
term is an exaggeration. In any case, it is a very shallow
well, but it is deep enough to give the marble a sufficient
impetus to run up the brass dome ; the outer edge of this
so-called well consists of a smooth polished mahogany
course, round which the marble is sent spinning. After
a while the force of the impetus fails, the speed of the
marble slackens, and finally it falls into the wheel. In this,
however, the marble acquires a new impulse, an impetus
that is not due to any human hand, but results solely
from the difference of level between the course it has
pursued round the upper part of the well and the wheel
that is at tlie bottom. This running downhill to the
wheel gives the marble sufficient impetus to clear the
partition that divides the numbers from each other, and
run up the smooth surface of tiie dome. What M. Maubert
desired to demonstrate was that when once the marble

368 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

got on to this smooth brass dome there was an end to
any possible or conceivable control.

Dividing the wheel into the four parts of the compass,
we might imagine that an employee, after years of
practice, was able to throw the marble in such a manner
that it would stop and fall into the wheel, we will say
just opposite the north. This is difficult enough in itself,
but it would be quite useless unless he had equal control
over the wheel. That part of the wheel containing the
number or numbers on which the stakes of confederates
had been placed would also have to stop just opposite
the north so as to receive the marble. No one has ever
been found to do this. " But," said M. Maubert, "do it
yourself: stop the wheel with your own hand. Hold the
marble in your own fingers, and let it drop just where
the number you want is situated, and see what will
happen." The result was that the marble, acquiring an
impetus by running down the side of the well, jumped
over the aperture of the number at which I was aiming
and ascended the brass dome opposite. When the impetus
was exhausted it came down again, but at an angle from
the line of its ascent. On repeating the experiment, I
found it was impossible to foresee what kind of angle
this would be. Sometimes it was a right angle, sometimes
a left angle, sometimes an acute, sometimes an obtuse
angle. It was never the same. Thus, with the wheel
perfectly still, holding the marble in my fingers in any
position in relation to any number I chose, I could never
make it fall in the particular partition I had selected. The
moment the marble goes up the brass dome it is absolutely
impossible to tell how it will come down again. The brass
impediments round the side of the well, which often
throw the marble about in an erratic manner, do not
defeat calculation or skill so completely as this smooth
shining brass covering. Even if the wheel is controlled,
even if the marble is controlled and made to fall into a
selected part of the wheel, the moment the marble begins
to ascend the central dome all the calculations and skill

BE BAKING THE BANK 369

that may have been made and exerted become useless.
There is no knowing towards which partition on the edge
of the wheel the marble will descend.

The examination of the tables takes place between
nine-thirty and ten o'clock every morning. The lantern,
of course, is used for looking under the tables, to see
if all is clean and in order. Here there is a sort of casing
which serves a double purpose. It holds the empty cash-
boxes which were employed to bring the money from the
bank, and will serve to take it back again plus the profits.
It is also very useful in preventing the pieces of money
that are constantly dropped from rolling out of reach.
While the examination proceeds the employees or croupiers
begin to assemble. The coverings are removed from the
tables, and finally the heavy cash-boxes, borne along by
two men holding a handle on each side, are brought in.
Every roulette-table receives 80,000 francs, or £3200, and
the trcntc-ct-qnarante tables 150,000 francs, or £6000.

This money, of course, is taken out of the portable
cash-boxes, counted out and placed in due order in the
cagnottes or tills by the side of the wheel in roulette,
and of the dealer of the cards at trente-et-qnarante. The
empty cash- box is then sent rattling into the big receptacle
under the table to await the result of the day's play. How
often is it taken upstairs back to the bank lighter than
it came down ? Sometimes this occurs, but not often, or
there would be no casino. Besides, with the modern
arrangements it is no longer possible to break the bank
in the theatrical manner which was the life and joy of the
former generation when playing at Baden-Baden or
Wiesbaden. The great Benazet had the dramatic sense.
He would allow the till to run dry, and permit the players
to see that this receptacle, which they had so often filled
with their money, was now empty and its contents in
their pockets. This, of course, was the signal for every-
body to go mad, and for neurotic women to indulge in
the hysteria of excessive joy. The game stopped ; the
principal winner was carried shoulder high round the

Sa

370 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

rooms, and sometimes out into the gardens. It was a
triumphal procession. The newspapers teemed with details.
The man who broke the bank rose from obscurity to
world-wide renown, and the next post brought him
hundreds of begging letters from distressed people anxious
to share his winnings. Naturally it all served as an
excellent advertisement, and any number of people were
forthwith fired with the ambition to break the bank
likewise.

The bank, of course, was never really broken. All that
happened was the exhaustion of the amount of ready cash
placed in the till of some one particular table. This occurs
constantly at JNIonte Carlo, and there are reserves held
ready, conveniently divided up into silver, gold and bank-
notes, according to what experience has proved will most
probably be needed. When at any one of the seventeen
roulette-tables, or the six trcnte-et-quarante tables the
supply of money is running short, the chef de partie does
not wait for the bank to break, but sends for reinforce-
ments. If it is a roulette bank that shows signals of
distress it will receive £2000, or .50,000 francs in a few
minutes. For the trentc-et-quarantc tables, exactly double
that amount is sent. There is no possibility of breaking
the banks that can thus be constantly replenished. Even
at Baden-Baden all that breaking the bank meant was
that the amount of money taken to start the game had
proved insufficient. This, M. Maubert said, was constantly
occurring at Monte Carlo, and hardly a day passed but
one or other of the tables had to send for more money.
It would not therefore be practicable to make a great
demonstration over what happened so frequently. At
Baden-Baden there were fewer tables and fewer players.

CHAPTER X

THE CASINO CllOWU

STRANGE as it may seem, it is nevertheless a fact
that the number of persons who enter the gaming
saloons has never been counted in a reliable manner
till within the last year or two. Nothing is more difficult
than to get accurate demographical statistics about the
principality ; yet in their absence it is impossible to
establish anything approaching a scientific comparison
with other centres of population. Of course there is a
natural love for big figures ; they look well on paper.
The largest of all these figures is that of the number
of travellers who have booked for the principality. The
increase from year to year is duly published, and it is
shown that, for instance, only 314,787 travellers came to
Monaco in 1879, whereas there were no fewer than
1,587,130 in 1911. Many of these bookings represent the
same person coming in every day and going out every
evening. They only indicate in a very rough manner that
there was a large increase. The question then arises. How
has this affected the casino ? But the casino statistics
were defective exactly in the same way as the railway
statistics. They simply recorded how many tickets had
been issued giving access to the gaming saloons. As many
persons have a fresh ticket every day, others every month,
this issue of tickets does not show how many different
individuals enter in the course of the year. These figures,
like those of the railway tickets, indicate a general
increase, and that is all. According to this old and de-
fective system, while in 1904 the number of passengers
who booked for Monaco was 1,279,232, the number of
371

372 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

admission cards issued for the gaming saloon was 295,000.
Thus it might be said that for every four railway tickets
issued there is one admission given to the casino. But
both for the railway and the casino it is often the same
person who comes round and round again, like the troops
of a stage army.

The casino authorities have determined to draw up
absolutely reliable statistics, and this has a double dis-
advantage ; it is a great deal more trouble, and produces
much smaller figures, which of course do not look so well.
They are now counting, not by the number of admission
cards issued, but by the number of different names
entered in their books. Thus every card given is checked
to see if the same person had been admitted already at
some other period of the year. In this manner duplication
is prevented. The result is that in the year 1910 there
were 155,950 different names entered. This seems like
a considerable falling off from the 295,000 admission
cards issued in 1904. In reality, it is an increase of
close upon 50,000 since 1904. The number of cards issued
in 1910 is 373,000, but it will be seen that more than
half of them were duplicates.

The following year — that is, the twelve months from
the Istof Aprill910tothe31stofMarch 1911— there were
184,000, and in the year ending the 31st of March 1912
no less than 197,000 different persons who obtained admis-
sion cards to the part of the casino reserved for players. It
is true a few of these only had a look round and came
away without playing ; but their number is so small that
it may be omitted. Also it is absolutely impossible to
know how many really resist the temptation of throwing
be it but one solitary five-franc piece on the table. Now
having at last ascertained at least approximatively the num-
ber of players, we can easily reckon the average loss they
make. Thus, during the last administrative year, the gross
receipts from the tables being 40,500,000 francs, we there-
fore only need divide this by the 197,000 entries to realise
that the average loss was 205 francs or £8, 4s. per head.

THE AVERAGE LOSS 373

Therefore each of the players contributed voluntarily for
the maintenance of the casino, for the dividends of its
shareholders, for the cost of the Monegasque government,
for the promotion of art and science — fortunately the
shareholders do not get all the profits — rather more than
the average annual taxation levied per head on the in-
habitants of Great Britain and Ireland to provide for
all national and local expenditure. Since only foreigners
are allowed to play, this is indeed taxing the foreigner.
But why should Englishmen only contribute to the relief
of the poor and the reduction of taxation when they play
in France or at Monte Carlo ? Could not the far larger
amount of gambling in which Englishmen indulge when
at home be also utilised for such good purposes.

The casino authorities, as shown by these figures, are
face to face with a very serious problem. They are too
successful. This is not a usual complaint, and it may be
regarded as a fault on the right side ; but it is none the
less perplexing. Of course, if these visitors could only
be spread more evenly over the year it would be easy to
manage, but the enormous majority will persist in coming
in January and February. In these circumstances the
management of the gambling saloons becomes a matter
of great difficulty. During one part of the year they are
overcrowded and overheated, while at another season the
visitor is impressed mainly by a sense of emptiness.
Perhaps there are few things more depressing than to see
the employees sitting at an empty table, liolding their
rakes up in the air like signals of distress because they
have no work to do. Instead of the rush and scramble for
chairs, one or two persons may be seen looking askance
at the table. They stand at a distance hesitating, as if too
timid to go by themselves and be the first to take a seat.
When scenes of this description become more and more
frequent, table after table is covered over and definitely
abandoned until next season.

To know how to cope with such fluctuations, further
statistics are needed, and of late a new system has been

374 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

introduced. On four days during the year no one is
admitted into the gaming saloons without having his
admission card punched. The cards are only punched
once, so that the same person returning a second or third
time is not recorded again. In this manner it was ascer-
tained that on the 4th of April 1910 the number of
visitors who entered the gaming saloons amounted to
5767. During the summer there was no counting, and the
next statistics were drawn up on the 20th of September
1910, just at the commencement of the new season. The
entries for that day numbered 1207. On the 2nd of
December following, M^hen the season was well launched,
the cards were again punched, and on that day there were
2390 entrances. The greatest crowd is at carnival time,
and the authorities are convinced that during the carnival
week of 1911 there must have been at least 8000 entries
in a single day. Perhaps it was because they were so
numerous and everyone was overworked that no attempt
was made to secure the positive figures. This was not
done before the 31st of March 1911, when people were
beginning to leave and the season was already on the
wane. Even in these circumstances the highest record was
obtained, the entries amounting to 6558. This is an
increase of 791 on the number counted at the correspond-
ing period of the previous year. On the 4th of April 1911
the number had further increased to 6500. The autumn
count was a month earlier in 1911, and on the 29th of
August that year only 930 different persons entered the
gaming saloons. In winter there was no count, but on the
6th of March 1912 there were 9800 different tickets
punched. This was an increase of half as many more when
compared with the 6558 of the 31st of March 1911.

The worst aspect of the situation is that to-day
quantity rather than quality predominates. This has
given cause for much reflection, no small alarm and
anxiety and a great deal of useless regret. After all, the
development of economic forces is like the tide of the
sea, it takes but little account of would-be Canutes, even

A NEW CLASS OF VISITORS 375

if they are casino directors. It is the old battle between
the first and the third class, between the saloon and the
steerage, between the orchestra stalls and the pit or the
gallery. Though the situation is very different, the result
will be the same. The mass will win ; indeed, it has won
already. It is true M. Maubert, the directeur des jeux, was
very careful to impress upon me that there had been no
falling off" in the number of the high-class frequenters of
the casino. They came now as in the bright days of yore,
when, he was fain to confess, their presence was much
more obvious. But, he promptly continued, they are there
now, only they are lost in the crowd ; they are not less
numerous, but they are crowded in the mass of pleasure
excursionists, of Cooks tourists, of travellers booked
through by innumerable agencies and syndicates. Again,
there is the question of the automobile. Formerly,
people found that it was a long journey, and when they
reached Monte Carlo they were glad to stop for a month
at least, and often for a considerably longer period. Now
they come in their own motor cars and by easy stages,
and after they have been at Monte Carlo for a week or so,
they feel as if they must travel farther as they have their
own automobiles, and it is so easy to go on another stage.
Thus it is that the casino crowd has quite a different
aspect. It is not what it was twenty or even ten years
ago. For one thing, there was no German predominance
in those days. Here and there a German might be met,
for Monte Carlo was always a cosmopolitan place, but
Germans were not more numerous than visitors of other
nationalitities. To-day, however, imited Europe can
scarcely cope with them.

Mr Filson Young, in his remarkable essay on Monte
Carlo, still considers that all the wealth of the civilised
world is represented on this spot dining a few months in
the year. Here it is that " the civilisation of pleasure has
come to its zenith." The following word painting from
*' Memory Harbour," one of Mr Filson Young's mmierous
publications, gives a striking and living picture of the
casino crowd : —

376 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

" Evening, the grateful cool evening of the South, has
stolen down from the mountains and hangs fragrantlj^ in
the darkening sky. The odorous shrubs in the garden send
out their perfume more persistently ; the dust of the day
has subsided ; lamps grow amid the flowers ; men and
women, some of the most lovely of women and the most
beautifully attired, walk on the spotless pavements as
though they walked on a lighted stage. The murmur
of music, melodies of passion and romance, steal from
violins, out of the cafes and among the trees. There is a
rustle of feet, a whisper of dresses, a hum of voices. This
is under the evening sky ; but as you pass under the great
portals of the Casino and enter the rooms the odour of
the evening and the perfume of the flowering shrubs fade
and vanish suddenly like an overture that is ended. The
lights blaze from the chandeliers on the decorated walls
and marble floor of the Atrium ; the atmosphere thickens,
becomes less fragrant, less sparkling, grows heavy and
overpowering like a drug. Room after room opens before
you, filled with a throng that flows in and out and moves
in eddying orbits round the tables. There is something in
the atmosphere that is strange and compelling ; you realise
that you are approaching the heart of something, that you
are coming near the centre of a system of tides and
currents and influences that has drawn men and women
from North and South and East and West, from San
Francisco and from St Petersburg, from the Northern and
the Southern Seas. You come nearer, pulled as though
by a magnet, to where the throng is gathered round
the light and green baize of a table. Its edge is fenced by
a seated row of men and women, with piles of money
before them little and big ; with books and diagrams and
columns of figures ; with faces very intent and a little
hard. In the middle of the table and at its ends and sides
sit the stolid croupiers with their rakes and cases of
money ; and all the time except when the ball is spinning
and the cards are being dealt, money is being pushed
about by those rakes, money enough to replenish a

WORD PAINTING OF CASINO 377

starving town, to build a bridge or a ship, found a family,
to reclaim an estate, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked,
procure from Rome forgiveness of sins, and to buy the
Kingdom of Heaven.'

Then again INIr Filson Young alludes to the people
here as a family of pleasure, that may be the last corrupt
flower of our civilisation but which has a curious charm
of its own, adding, " Pleasure is a thing of the surface,
pain is a thing of the deeps and upon this shimmering
surface only pleasure flourishes."

For INlonte Carlo, this may indeed be the whole truth,
for the principality it is certainly but a half truth. It is
utterly foreign to the history, the struggle and endeavours
that will make Monaco long survive in the memory of
man the glitter and frivolities of Monte Carlo. It is to be
hoped that one of these days this gifted writer will go to
Monaco and find that he possesses the temperament to
enter its charmed world, to breathe its atmosphere and
live its life as he did that of Monte Carlo. Extremes meet,
therefore this is perhaps not impossible.

Sometimes it even happens that offshoots from
Monaco are found at Monte Carlo and within the pre-
cincts of the casino itself. This certainly never occurs in
the gaming-rooms, but in the atrium groups are formed,
conversations held by persons whose ability and achiexe-
ments must command respect. It may seem incredible
to some, but in these groups any conversation about
roulette or trente-et-quarante is severely ostracised.
Indeed there are circles in the principality where talk con-
cerning these games is considered bad form, just as if in
a London drawing-room someone were to extol the charm
of getting drunk and propose to discuss the pleasantest
forms of intoxication. When speaking with people of this
stamp, useful information and ideas may be obtained.
Thus, during a discussion of this description in which
an able barrister who is a leading member of the French
colony took part, the question of the political bearing of

378 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

the casino crowd was raised. As the visitors increased in
number, and changed in character, what was hkely to be
the pohtical upshot ? Without reproducing the observa-
tions made, I will endeavour to embody the drift of what
was said on that occasion. While the subject is interesting,
it will illustrate the style of conversation which, despite
the gambling and the frivolous character of the majority
present, may nevertheless be heard even within the pre-
cincts of the casino.

It was not until after the Franco-German War of 1870
that ISIonte Carlo began to acquire its great popularity.
Looking upon the principality as almost a part of France,
the Germans did not venture to come till the bitter
feelings caused by the war had been softened by the lapse
of time. At first the French, being so near at hand,
constituted the predominant element among the visitors.
Then the Italians, as close neighbours, also came. It is
true they belonged to the Triple Alliance, but this fact
has never weighed heavily on the French mind. The
family instinct is stronger than diplomatic combinations ;
and, whatever governments may say and do, the Latin
races are natural allies. Thus the Italian was always wel-
comed at Monte Carlo by the French crowd that
frequented the casino. Nevertheless the Italians were
rather timid at first, and only a few ventured. When,
however, it was found that no accidents occurred, that
they were not individually held responsible for the Triple
Alliance, the number of Italian visitors increased. The
Italian is usually courteous. Some of the Italian women
were beautiful, and stylishly dressed, so that their coming
added to the attractions of the casino. Then followed
another current of immigration which was not so welcome.
In speaking of the difficulty of getting gardeners, I have
described the unwillingness of the native to do any heavy
woi'k. Along the whole of the Riviera, indeed throughout
the south of France, when any hard work, sucli as navvy's
work, is required, foreign labour must be imported. Now
Italy, though a southern country, has extensive mountain-

ITALO-GERMAN INVASION 379

ous districts where a very poor but strong race live
exposed to a rude climate and many hardships. They are
well capable of doing navvies' and similar hard work, and
as the principality began to prosper they came in flocks
to help in cutting roads on the rocky sides of the hills, and
were useful generally where powei-ful muscles were needed.
But there soon followed another class of Italians who are
not so welcome. These are small tradesmen. They opened
shops, became permanent residents, and in too many
cases sought to be naturalised as Monegasques.

The inrush of Italians was so marked that suspicion
arose. If war did break out again Italy belonged to the
Triple Alliance, and it might pi'ove very useful to have
a friendly population in that part of French territory
where a hostile raid might be attempted. The larger the
Italian population the greater the temptation to disregard
the neutrality of Monaco. It would not be the first time
in history that Italian troops had landed in the historic
port of Hercules. This feeling of distrust was especially
emphatic in the eighties. It was even believed that the
emigration of Italians to the principality had been encour-
aged for political motives, especially when several medical
men also arrived as if to give tone and prestige to the
Italian colony. In the meanwhile the Germans founded
colonies near at hand, notably at San Remo in Italy, very
close to the French border. From this vantage ground
they came over one by one. The fact that the ruling prince
of Monaco was on intimate terms with the German
Kaiser made the German tourist think he would surely be
well received in Monaco. In this assumption he was not
mistaken. Indeed, even in France there has never been
any tendency to show resentment toward the individual
German. But a current of immigration created for a
military and political purpose is quite another matter.
Thus it did come about when the German invasion of the
principality assumed such formidable proportions that it
was thought diplomatic representations should be made
reminding the authorities that Monaco was iii France. It

380 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

was even stated that places where Germans congregate to
drink their favouinte beer remained comparatively empty
on the days when there were French military manoeuvres
in the neighbourhood. And it does not tend to inspire
confidence to discover that such important fortresses as
those on the summit of Mont Agel were not only built
to a large extent by Italian labourers, but that some
Italian officers disguised themselves as labourers so as to
penetrate inside the fort.

In the past the fact that Monaco occupied an important
strategical position was on the whole an advantage. While
all the neighbouring states desired to possess this port
they were equally determined to prevent its falUng into
the hands of a rival state. Tiie princes of Monaco, playing
off these mutual jealousies one against the other, contrived
to keep themselves in existence. To-day the position has
entirely changed. It is only necessary to keep on good
terms with the French people and their Government. The
most dangerous thing that could happen would be the
raising of the cry of " Prussian spy " against the princi-
pality. It will be understood, therefore, what fears the
German invasion has engendered. In these circumstances
it is not surprising to find that many old residents regret
the days when most of the visitors were either French or
British. Some of the authorities to whom I spoke on the
subject sought to minimise the matter by insisting that
though a great many persons spoke German they were not
all Germans. There were many Austrians and Swiss from
the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland, and a few
from the Balkan principalities who know German better
than French, so that the German language predominated
more than the German people.

Putting aside all political or military considerations,
there remains the fact that the Germans are not par-
ticularly distinguished for their elegance of person, dress
or inanners. Consequently a large crowd of Germans in
the casino, or parading on the terraces, does not add to
the beauty and charm of the place. It is true that the

THE "COOKS AND COOKESSES " 381

Germans are always clean, and their clothes, even among
the poorest classes, in perfect order and repair. They do
not wear picturesque rags, like some of their Italian allies.
But the Italian labourer, as he saunters by in his shirt
sleeves, has affixed a bunch of bright red geraniums to the
side of his large, torn and battered brigand hat, which
just makes him a perfect picture. Englishmen, it must be
admitted, do dress well, though when they get abroad
they sometimes wear eccentric costumes that are very
profitable to the Continental caricaturists. Englishwomen
are sometimes grotesque, often dowdy, occasionally quite
elegant. The British people, formed out of many races,
are an uncertain quantity, but they used to be considered
a genuine acquisition to the casino. Their arrogance was
overlooked because they paid well. The tradesmen,
anxious to do business, ingeniously discovered that the
English were eccentric, and that therefore their impertin-
encies were to be overlooked. But when the English in a
railway carriage spread their rugs over seats that do not
belong to them, frown at anyone who attempts to enter,
and haughtily refuse to exchange a civil word with a
fellow-traveller, they are not thought eccentric. The term
used is less indulgent, and the Englishman himself who
is an experienced traveller knowing foreign languages
will take good care to avoid his fellow-countrymen.
Nevertheless the English were very popular at Monte
Carlo, but will this popularity survive the advent of the
cheap trippers, of the Cooks and Cookesses according to
Pierre Loti's denomination ? If, as Pierre Loti would
have us believe, they can ruin Egypt and the Temples of
the Gods even up to the Second Cataract, what could
they not do at Monte Carlo ?

CHAPTER XI

SOME NOTABLE PLAYERS

THE lover of polemics might raise some very close
arguments over the question as to what constitutes
a notable player. Is it some celebrity who plays or
is it some unknown, insignificant person w^ho contrives
to play in a remarkable manner ? Undoubtedly the first
impulse is to watch a grand duke, a member of a royal
family or a millionaire who may happen to be hovering
round tlie table ; but his JSIajesty Money is king, and the
man who wins the most soon eclipses all other attractions.
The future heir to a throne may be playing at table No. 10,
but if some totally unknown individual is really about
to break the bank at table No 17, the majority of
spectators will prefer to witness such a triumph. So long,
however, as nothing particular is happening with regard
to the vicissitudes of the game, the players have a better
prospect of being considered according to their social
position than according to their good fortune in playing.
Nevertlieless it would be difficult to find a spot in Europe
where less attention is paid to celebrities than in the
gaming-rooms. The employees and attendants endeavour
to remember the appearance of distinguished visitors,
so as to avoid being reproached for want of deference,
but the general public thinks of little else than the game.
Yet when once outside the rooms, as the gossip to be
heard on the terraces or in the atrium clearly indicates,
considerable interest is manifested concerning the manner
of playing adopted by well-known persons.

How many people, for instance, have puzzled over de
Rothschild's mysterious No. 17. The late INIonsieur Arthur
de Rothschild was an assiduous roulette-player. Formerly

382

FAVOURITE NUMBERS 383

he came to Monte Carlo every year in his yacht.
When he could no longer travel in this manner he came
in a motor car. M. de Rothschild was among the first
to travel in a motor car. He had a villa at Monte Carlo,
and a special garage was constructed for his car. Though
he stayed several months at Monte Carlo he rarely
passed a day without trying his luck at roulette. But the
extraordinary part about it was that he never varied his
play. He always put his stake on No. 17. If he were fairly
successful he would play for an hour. If not, he would
get someone to keep his place and go out to smoke a
cigar. After a while he returned and resumed the same
play. The only change he ever allowed himself was
occasionally to stake on zero, but never on any other
number. If his ill-luck continued he was apt to lose his
temper, and finally would jump up in an evident passion.
On such occasions he would return yet again in the
evening. Here, then, is a real problem. M. de Rothschild
cannot be considered a thoughtless gambler. He belonged
to one of tiie greatest financial families of Europe, and
had control of millions. What can have induced such a
man to play at all, and to play in so peculiar a manner ?
What mysterious connection can there be between the
house of Rothschild or that one individual member of
this celebrated family and No. 17.

There was a Polish gentleman, possessing a beautiful
villa at Monte Carlo, wlio played in a similar manner ; but
his favourite number was 32. He would not only place the
maximum on 32, but still further to increase his stake he
also put money a chcval and on tlie airrc, which included
No. 32. It is said that 32 was really a good number for
him, as he is reputed to have won at least 1,000,000 francs,
and, what is much more wonderful, he is further credited
with having kept some (iOO,000 francs. During the season
of 1911 he hardly played, and seems to have realised that,
if it is possible to win, it is not possil)le to win always.
There are many other great financiers who are fond of
playing at Monte Carlo, but they are not all troubled

384 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

by favourite numbers or special systems. Mr Vanderbilt
came with all his family, and they all played. There was
his son, his son-in-law, and their families. None of them
failed to play, though it did not appear that they had
studied the chances and prepared any method to cope
with them. Mr Vanderbilt senior had, however, a peculi-
arity which somewhat amused the onlookers. He generally
put a 1000-franc note on a tr-ain^veisale, and then whether
he won or lost he would run off to another table. In this
we have the beginning of a system, of a theory. If all
is pure luck, if there is nothing whatsoever to be done
to alter the decrees of Fate, why run from table to table ?
Mr Vanderbilt was no ordinary person, but a man of
extraordinary acuteness and wide experience in money
speculations. What could have induced such a brain
as his to imagine he would be more fortunate if he con-
stantly changed tables ? There was another American
gentleman who was very wealthy and used to come to
Monte Carlo in a yacht. He had an extraordinary faith
in No. 14 ; but his confidence was misplaced, and he lost
a great deal. On one occasion he was seen to lose, at
a single sitting, about £2000, all on No. 14. With regard
to a favourite though often fatal number there is the old
and very stale story of Miss Jane Armstrong.

A book published some ten years ago, obviously for
blackmailing purposes, relates that this lady was a rich
orphan from New York who came and played on No. 24,
and at first won some £800 ; but ultimately she is said
to have lost £10,000 and thei'eupon to have committed
suicide. The book in question also published a sensational
sketch of Miss Armstrong with a big hat, wild eyes, and
a graceful figure, pointing a revolver at her heart. The
strange thing is that though this suicide, due to losses on
No. 24, is said to have taken place in 1881, the melancholy
story is related anew on every possible occasion, in spite
of its being more than thirty years old. It appeared once
in The Looking Glass of the 18th of March 1911, when
the fancy sketch just mentioned was reproduced, and

STATE SUICIDE STORY 385

details were given in the following issue of that paper.
JVie Looking Glass of the 25th of March expresses its
astonishment that Miss Armstrong could have been
portrayed in the act of shooting herself when cinemato-
graph operators were as yet unknown, and adds that she

" took a fancy to No. St at roulette, possibly because when she first went
into the rooms it was the number of her restiaire ticket, and she had
the good fortune to see it come up three times in succession. She won
20,000 francs in no time, and that was the cause of her ruin. For days
and days she stuck to No. 24, but wherever she played it would not
'come up.' She'd walk up to another table just in time to hear the
croupier call out : — ' Fingt-qualre, noir, pair et passe.' But when she began
to stake, it would never repeat itself. And after half-an-hour's play, just
as she was leaving that particular table, up came No 24 ! It was
maddening — heart-breaking. The more she lost, the more entetee she
became. After a fortnight's gamble she had lost the greater part of her
fortune, and became so down-hearted that she shot herself one night
on returning home."

The most wonderful part of this story is that such
minute details should have been remembered and repeated
from mouth to mouth, from newspaper article to news-
paper article, and from book to book, for now more than
thirty years. Such stories must be very scarce for this one
to be so carefully .stored and so constantly reproduced.
In any case, Miss Armstrong, by her persistent devotion
to the number 24, and her dramatic end, is certainly
entitled to be mentioned among the notable players.

It must be confessed, however, that some of these
players are chiefly notable for their extreme foolishness.
Perhaps one of the best descriptions given of this type
of person is contributed by " Flic " to Black and White,
21st March 1911. This writer on "Merry Monte"
describes the first visit of a lady who

" is quite the pink of propriety at home, and would no more think of
backing a horse than of doing a cake-walk down the Strand. The air of
Monte, however, got into her head, and the gambling fever seized her.
She simply must have a flutter at the tables. She appealed to an ac(|uaint-
ance, an old hand at the game, as to how she should go about it.
' Nothing more sim|)le,'was the reply. 'Take your seat at the table, back
the number that will turn up, and you will soon win quite a large

2b

386 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

amount ! ' ' Thank you very much indeed,' was the beaming response.
' How deUghtfuUy easy ; I wish now I had heard of it sooner.' "

To return to players who are notable apart from any
peculiarity in their manner of playing, the Grand Duke
Nicholas of Russia may be mentioned as an assiduous
frequenter of the tables. He has a peculiarly fanciful way
of staking his money. Generally he risks from £20 to £40
at a time, and likes to cover one number in every possible
way. First he stakes on the number itself, then a c/ieval,
then on the can-e, the t?'ansversa/e, and so on. On one
occasion he managed to dispose of forty-seven louis in back-
ing directly and indirectly one single number. Thus, though
he may not win often, he has the satisfaction of receiving
several different payments, and of raking in a very large
sum when he does win. The Grand Duke Nicholas, how-
ever, has no favourite number, nor any favourite table.
When he has placed his money over a number in this
elaborate manner, he walks off, for he strongly objects
to seeing the wheel go round and his money being swept
away. Therefore he goes to the next table or stands at
a distance, trusting to the cJicfde partie, who will make
him a sign if he has won. This is easy to do, for the Grand
Duke Nicholas is so tall that he can be readily distin-
guished above the crowd. If the Grand Duke loses, he
may return and stake again at the same table ; but, when
he wins, he picks his money up and goes off at once, if
not out of the casino altogether, at least to some other
table. The Grand Duke Nicholas comes to Monte Carlo
twice, sometimes three times, in the course of the year.
He is very courteous, and manages to salute the croupiers
before the latter have time to recognise and salute him.
His brother, the Grand Duke Michael, seats himself at the
end of a table, for he has a prejudice against the middle
of the table. To please him, the croupiers have to
remember that he does not like the cylinder to turn
quickly. It is customary to keep the wheel in motion
while the players are laying their stakes ; but the Grand
Duke likes the wheel to turn slowly so that he may more

ROYAL PLAYERS 387

easily see in which partition the marble has fallen, and
which are the neighbouring numbers.' He seems somewhat
more authoritative in his manner ; but when he perceives
that attention has been paid to his wishes, and that the
wheel does not go round too quickly, he does not fail
to make a sign with his head as an acknowledgment. In
1910 his father died at Cannes, and since then the Grand
Duchess, his mother, does not come so often. It is curious
to note that, in opposition to her son, the Grand Duchess
prefers to sit near the middle of the table, and she always
gives her money to one of the croupiers to stake for her.
The late Grand Duke Serge and the Gi'and Dukes Paul,
Peter and Alexis, were, every one of them, assiduous
frequenters of Monte Carlo, and greatly enjoyed playing.
A long list might be drawn up of royal families who
have patronised the gaming-tables at Monte Carlo. Indeed,
if expedition and brevity were the object, the best thing
to do would be to compile a list of those who have not
been to Monte Carlo. This would be a very short list.
It is true that her late Majesty, Queen Victoria, though
she often drove through the principality, did not visit the
casino. On the other hand, his late Majesty, King Edward
VII., when Prince of Wales, was a constant visitor. His
Majesty was usually accompanied by his private secretary.
In manner and bearing, the late king passed as a simple,
unpretending, courteous gentleman. He went into all
and any of the rooms just as the first-comer might, and
generally asked one of the attendants to place his stakes
for him on the table. It is not, however, only future
kings but reigning sovereigns who come for an occasional
gamble. The King of the Belgians was so frequent a
visitor that he bought himself a fine villa and property
near at hand by the beautiful harbour of Villefranche.
The late King Oscar of Sweden and his son were
assiduous patrons of the roulette-tables. The Archdukes
Ferdinand and Francis of Austria likewise came to Monte
Carlo, and, among the German visitors. Prince Hohenlohe
and several members of his family may be noted. Then

388 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

there are pretenders, such as Don James de Bourbon, who
is never so happy as* when someone in anticipation calls
him your Highness. He has no special system, but he often
plays, and is very lucky. Another pretender who, when an
exile, used to come frequently to IMonte Carlo, did not
possess the best of teinpers. On one occasion he showed
his ill-humour by boxing the ears of a croupier. Of course
there was a great commotion. The prince had to apologise,
and he also offered 1000 francs as compensation. With
great dignity the simple croupier accepted the prince's
apology but refused his money.

In more recent times INlr Darnborough won widespread
renown by his extraordinary good luck. Generally he
played on the eight numbers that were nearest to zero,
and won in all 2,000,000 francs, or £80,000. Further, he
is one of those very rare men who, having won a great
deal, has not returned to play and lost it all. On the
contrary, he has invested £48,000 in the purchase of an
annuity, so that the casino authorities, who take care
to be well informed on such matters, have lost all hope
of getting the money back. There was, on the other
hand, a Pole from Warsaw who also won just about
2,000,000 francs, but he punctually lost them all again.
Now it seems as if there are some people who cannot
possibly be saved from their own folly, for this Pole had
the extraordinary luck to win about 2,000,000 francs
a second time. It might be thought that having already
once lost all he had won, he would know, on the second
occasion, when to stop, but it was not so. He continued
playing till once again he lost all the 2,000,000 francs of
his second fortune.

It is not, however, the notable, especially the wealthy
players, who are most profitable to the casino. The rich
man who, out of his large income, risks a few thousand
pounds every year is of comparatively little benefit to the
casino. It is true, that one year he may lose all this
money, but the player is none the worse. Out of next
year's income he risks a similar sum, and this time his

THE PLAYERS ^^^^0 win 389

luck returns and he wins back about as much as he had
lost. Thus the game continues, and the most the bank can
hope to win is the percentage, the brokerage, the zero
represents. As this amounts to only 1| per cent, on
the simple chance at roulette and a little less at
trente-et-quarante, a player who only risks his super-
fluous cash may continue playing for many years. The
position stands thus : is it worth while losing, on
an av^erage, £51, 6s. 8d. for the pleasure of winning
£48, 13s. 4.d. ?

Speaking to one of the assistant- or sub-directors
who has been in the employ of the casino since the
Homburg days, he expressed his conviction that the
players with only a little inoney brought the most profit
to the bank. They could make no fight of it ; and as they
were never content with a small profit, something pro-
portionate to the small capital they brought, they were
bound to go under. Then they could not afford to come
again the next year and win it all back, as the rich people
did. With regard to the poor people, who toiled very
hard, working out some system by which they made, with
some approach to certainty, perhaps twenty francs a day,
they might, and indeed did, live on the bank for many
years. Yet the day comes when they give it all back.
Nevertheless he agreed with me that the bank depended
on the folly of the player far more than on the zero. If
every person who won stopped playing after losing 50
per cent, of his winnings, the casino could not exist. But
those who keep what they gain are almost unknown.
After all these years of experience it was evident that,
on the whole, the public must lose. Some system might
succeed for a while, but there was no certain method,
otherwise it would have been discovered and applied long
ago. By far the most notable player was the player
who carried away his winnings and did not return to lose
them all.

Well worthy of being mentioned among notable
players are those pathetic women, wives or sweethearts,

390 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

who seek to redeem the lost fortunes of their husbands
or lovers. The inost wonderful and cheering thing about
it is that they are sometimes successful. The American
paper. The Sun, of 23rd October 1910, is responsible for
the following story : —

" Yet if the poisoned atmosphere makes sirens, it also brings out
traits of womanly devotion. What of the touching and romantic story of
Suzanne Bernnatzki, who became infatuated with the young Count X,
a confirmed gambler? l3 -i

" Count X had gambled away his family fortune, though no one but
Suzanne knew how near he must be to the crash. Only certain funds
which amounted to a trust were at his call. One afternoon Suzanne
discovered that he had sent for the money — and was on his way to play
it. She hastened to the Casino, found him at roulette No. 3, and watched
him at a distance.

'•' He was losing, already embarked on the stubborn man's system of
' betting against the bank's game,' and forcing his luck. Suzanne knew
better. She dived into her purse satchel and fetched out three 100-
franc notes. Without any particular plan she begged a gentleman in
front to place them on the red and they won for her, just as her lover
at the other end of the table had lost 300 francs on black.

" Someone made room for her. She took a seat just as the young
Count bet 600 francs between the first and second columns. ' They'll
both lose,' an intuition told her, so she quickly slapped 300 francs on
the remaining one. Click ! She raked in 600 francs — the 600 that he was
losing ! And the luminous idea pursued her. So long as her stakes held
out she would bet against her lover. Should she lose it would not matter
— he would be winning. But should he lose then she must win for
him.

" She won and won ; her pile of bank-notes grew imposing ; she let
herself go into speculative byplays ; she was winning more than X was
losing. Then the end came quickly. He rose from the table. Sweeping
all her new wealth into her purse satchel, Suzanne followed.

" He walked the beautiful terrace in the darkening twilight. Suicide
was in his heart. She approached him. They sat in the marble hemicycle.

"'I am ruined and dishonoured,' he said. '1 have just lo.st 20,000
francs that are not mine.'

"'That is funny,' answered Suzanne. 'I have just won 26,000 — a
wonderful run of luck at table No. 3.'

"'That's where I lost my money. Black and even the double
columns.'

" ' And I won on red, odd and single columns,' laughed Suzanne
bravely. ' My friend, I have evidently won your money.' Then opening
her satchel to show the mass of wealth, she added : ' you must take it
back, I cannot keep it.' "

COUNTERACTING LOSSES 391

Should this, Hke so many other casino stories, prove
to be apocryphal, there is absolutely nothing improbable
about it. Indeed something of the sort must have occurred
several times. When a person plays on the dozens or the
simple chances nothing is easier than to neutralise the
result by playing on the opposite chances. The only
risk of loss then remaining is the zero. But even if the
zero came out with more than usual frequency it would
only mean an occasional loss ; the winning side would
still win nearly if not quite as much as the other side had
lost. To the anxious wife who sees her husband ruining
the family this method may be strongly recommended.
Indeed, it is difficult to suggest what else can be done to
save the situation. It is far safer than going and playing
afterwards. In the one case the winning back of all the
losses excepting what zero takes is a mathematical certainty.
In the other case, it is merely a question of luck, though
it does, and not infrequently, happen that, of a couple,
the one is as lucky as the other is unlucky.

A story of this character was told me by a servant
concerning her former master. The gentleman was of
noble family, had a large estate in Savoy, where he was
much respected. To escape the severity of the winter he
took a villa on the Promenade des Anglais, at Nice. Of
course he went to Monte Carlo, which is within easy
reach from Nice, and there finally lost all his fortune.
Hastening back to his country-seat he broke the news
to his wife, telling her that the estate and all they had
must be sold. This was the more humiliating as he
had always been so highly considered throughout the
neighbourhood. But his wife was not disposed to submit
thus tamely to their ill-fortune. Looking around her, she
collected what ready cash it was still in her power to
raise, and took the first train to Monte Carlo. This lady
was not a gambler, that was her husband's vice ; but on
this occasion she played, and played boldly. In a short
time she had won, perhaps not as much as her husband
had lost, but, in any case, quite enough to redeem their

392 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

fortunes and render the sale of the estate unnecessary.
Overwhelmed with joy, her newly acquired wealth about
her, this excellent wife hastened home. It was too late.
Her husband's life was wrecked though his fortune had
been saved. He could not shake himself free from the
impression that he was ruined, and soon fell into a sort
of dotage.

Such dramatic and distressful occurrences are the
inevitable result of all gambling, whether on the Stock
Exchange, on the racecourse or at roulette. But a de-
voted wife would not find it as easy to counteract her
husband's gambling propensities on the Stock Exchange
or on the racecourse as at the roulette-table. It is
difficult to imagine a lady rushing oft" to a race to back
the field against her husband's favourite horse, or at-
tempting to bear the market when her husband was
speculating with the bulls. At roulette it is impossible
for a player to conceal his game ; on the racecourse or
money market the speculator need not reveal how he
has invested his money.

CHAPTER XII

THE SUICIDES

TO describe jNIonte Carlo as a " gambling gehenna "
that " makes heaven kiss hell," where people fear
to take morning walks because they know not
" at what turn they may come across a dead body," is the
style some writers adopt apparently in good faith. Before
me is an article cut out of an old number of The Echo and
preserved as a curiosity, which says : "It is averred by
those who profess to know that such cases [suicides] are
never fewer than 300 in any year," and that " a few miles
fi-om Monaco is a cemetery used only for the burial of
suicides." In "The Secrets of Monte Carlo," by Mr William
Le Queux, which has now run to a sixpenny edition,
this highly imaginative author says :

" To the readers of these reminiscences it may also
be a surprise to know that since 1877 up to the present
time " (there is no indication to show when this was written)
" the average number of suicides in the principality of
Monaco, with its four thousand inhabitants, has been
more than one daily ! "

The authoress of " The Komance of Monaco " speaks
of the " sinister roll of suicides, two thousand since 1860,"
apparently on no better authority than that of an author
whose book was condenmed for libel. Hundreds of other
equally Avild assertions have been made, till at last the
idea of suicide has become intimately associated with
Monte Carlo.

That a number of people should wish to fling stones
at Monte Carlo is quite natural. There is a great variety
and multiplicity of reasons to account for such irritability.

393

394 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

But it is astounding and alarming to find that persons
who are sufficiently intelligent to make their way in the
world as authors are so careless and imprudent as to write
on an important demographical problem without first
obtaining at least some elementary knowledge of the
question. Surely these writers might have devoted a few
hours to studying some work on vital statistics. They
might have looked at the Registrar-General's Annual
Report, just to get some idea as to what are the prob-
abilities and possibilities. We should not then be told
that since 1877 there have been more than one suicide
per day in the principality with its four thousand in-
habit anis. It is a detail, perhaps, that none of these
inhabitants, whether four thousand or more, was allowed
to play. Before thus specifying the number of inhabitants
it would have been prudent to take up the statistics.
These show that at the quinquennial census of 1873 there
were 3443 inhabitants; in 1878 this number had already
increased to 6049 ; to-day the figure amounts to nearly
20,000. But this has nothing to do with the suicides, since
the object is to denounce the casino, which the inhabitants
are not allowed to enter. Then why mention the four
thousand ? If among them more than one suicide per day
occurred, in less than ten years the entire population would
have committed suicide instead of increasing three and
four fold. But we will examine the situation as it affects
the gamblers.

When the population of the principality was about
4000 — that is, in 1874 — the number of people who booked
to Monaco amounted to 186,000. In 1811 it was 1,587,130,
and there were 197,000 persons admitted to the gaming-
rooms ; therefore the proportion between booking and
admissions to the gaming-tables is about one to eight.
Consequently, in 1874 some 23,250 people went to the
gaming-tables, and if there were any truth at all in the story
it would be out of these players, not among the in-
habitants, that more than one committed suicide per day.
Let us say the total was 400. This would mean a death-

INSULT TO MEDICAL MEN 395

rate from suicide alone of 18 per 1000 per annum. Have
such writers ever seen statistics of the death-rate of any
town or country ? If they had they could not write such
absurdities.

There is another extraordinary manifestation of mental
blindness. The people who talk of one suicide per day
seem impervious to the fact that this is a gross libel on
the medical profession. There is a medical society at
Monaco, and it might increase its funds by bringing
actions and claiming damages for such a libel. The number
of suicides said to take place, in proportion to the popu-
lation and visitors, is so absolutely beyond anything con-
ceivable that if it were correct such an occurrence would
convulse Europe. If correct but concealed, then all the
medical practitioners in the principality assist in such con-
cealment. This would be not merely " infamous conduct
in the professional sense " but infamous conduct in the
ordinary criminal or common law meaning of the words.
Even writers of romances are supposed to keep to possi-
bilities and probabilities. What right have they to libel an
honourable profession ? It may be said the casino pays
hush money, but this would be a still grosser insult. Surely
medical men would not compromise their position and
break their career for the sake of the casino. All the
medical men practising in the principality hold their
degree from foreign faculties. Even the one Monegasque
doctor, Dr Marsan. received his degree from the
Paris Faculty of Medicine, which would at once disown
him if he attempted to conceal the cause of death and
give a false death certificate. What would become of the
British practitioners ? What would the London Royal
College of Physicians or of Surgeons or the qualifying
authority at Edinburgh do if they thought that practitioners
bearing the degrees they conferred were endeavouring to
hide the fact that some of their English patients at Monte
Carlo had committed suicide ? Then, are not the French a
civilised people? Would they tolerate such a thing in
their very mid.st ? The burial laws in France are very

396 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

strict, and they are equally severe in the principality. It
is a criminal offence to conceal the cause of death, and
no administration could conspire to commit crimes of this
description. No such secret could ever be kept. Those who
believe such things must have been hypnotised by a
suggestion planted in the brain in an unguarded moment
and therefore accepted without investigation or criticism.
The suggestion grows up, becomes a habit, and these
people have to be awakened to understand the enormity
of what they unconsciously adopted as a truth.

Needless to say, there is absolutely no secrecy ; no
corpse, whether a suicide or otherwise, can be buried
without a medical certificate and a legal permission.
Monaco, apart from its own love of law and justice, is too
near to Paris, to Rome, to London, to Berlin, for it to be
possible secretly to inter hundreds of people in the course
of a season. It is an insult to the civilisation of Europe to
imagine such a thing. But how then did this scare arise ?
The older inhabitants have no difficulty in answering the
question. It was started by the late Bishop of Gibraltar.
When, in the sev^enties, it became evident that Monte
Carlo would develop into an important resort and attract
rich and influential people, the Bishop of Gibraltar, who
has the care of all Church of England chapels on the
Continent, approached Prince Charles III. But the late
prince refused to grant permission to build a Church of
England chapel in the principality. This refusal, of course,
was ascribed to his bigotry as a Roman Catholic and a
bitter feeling was engendered. Thereupon the Bishop of
Gibraltar discovered that when people lost money at the
casino they sometimes committed suicide. An agitation
was organised, and the cry of suicides was raised because
it was more effective than arguing against gambling to
populations that back horses and speculate on 'Change.

The last time I had an opportunity of discussing public
matters with his Highness, Prince Albert, I inquired
whether he had heard that the campaign against Monte
Carlo Avith regard to the suicides was started by the late

ORIGIN OF SUICIDE SCARE 397

Bishop of Gibraltar because the permission to build an
English church Avas refused. The prince replied that he
remembered the incident very well ; but it was a mistake
to attribute the refusal to any deeply felt intolerance. On
the contrary, it was due to the desire to obtain greater
liberty. The difficulty of the principality had always been
that it had no bishop of its own. P^'or all ecclesiastical
purposes, Monaco had been a portion of the diocese of
Vintimille or of Nice. Prince Charles III. was then
negotiating with the Pope and striving to secure the
appointment of a bishop for Monaco who would be
independent of any French or Italian diocese. He was told
that if he allowed an Anglican church to be built in the
principality the creation of Monaco as an independent
diocese must be abandoned ; Rome would never consent.
So it was the Pope of Rome and not Prince Charles who
refused the English petition. Nevertheless it was Prince
Charles and the principality who had to suffer the
consequences. It is true that the thunders of the Anglican
Church have not wrought much injury, but Prince
Charles and the Monegasques generally would have pre-
ferred not to give offence to any religious community,
whether Anglican or belonging to some other denomina-
tion. This is amply proved, for now that they have suc-
ceeded in getting a bishop of their own all churches are
authorised in the principality. Thus a short time ago a
lAitheran church was built in the rue Grimaldi. Indeed,
the prince assured me that even so far back as the
eighteenth century all religions, at least in theory, were
tolerated in the principality, and in this respect it was in
advance of the rest of Europe.

The bed-rock of fact, however, is the best exposure of
all fallacies. But with regard to vital statistics, these are
of little use unless we can establish a point of comparison.
This is easily done in towns where there is a stable popu-
lation, but when the question relates to a popular resort
with many seasonal visitors, two sets of statistics are pro-
vided : the crude death-rate and the corrected death-rate.

398 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

In the principality the matter is still more complicated,
for I am not aware that there is any profound interest felt
throughout the world in knowing what difference may
exist in the frequency of suicides among the tradesmen,
workmen and inhabitants generally of Monaco as com-
pared with the frequency of suicide in other localities. As
a matter of fact it so happens that this is a problem, a
curious and interesting problem, but its existence is
utterly unknown even to specialists. What interests the
world at large is the belief, assiduously propagated, that a
large proportion of the people who gamble at ISlonte Carlo
end by committing suicide. To show that very few suicides
occur in the principality is no answer, for anyone ac-
quainted with the death-rates of most countries knows
full well that suicide is not a frequent cause of death.
Thus, in any case, the figures are bound to be small, and
to talk of one suicide per day is to stand self-convicted of
absolute ignorance with regard to such questions. For
instance, in London — according to the County Council
statistics (vol. xxi.) — in every hundred deaths during the
five years, 1899-1903, the proportion due to suicide was 06
per cent., or nearly two hundred deaths before we get one
suicide. Since then the proportion has increased to 0*7 per
cent. But then the County Council knows how many
people die in London, whereas we do not know how
many people gambled at Monto Carlo.

Fortunately we have to-day figures that are correct
enough for all practical purposes. If we cannot say with
mathematical precision how many persons have actually
put money on the tables we do know how many individuals
received the cards that admit to the gaming-rooms.
There remains but one complication. These latter figures
relate to what is called the administrative year, dating
from the beginning of April to the end of March, whereas
the demographical figures, to conform with those of all
the rest of Europe, relate to the twelve months from the
1st of January to the 31st of December. These figures, the
death-rate of the principality for 1911, are here photo-

Repartition des d6ces par Cause at par Mois

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CAUSES DE DECES

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Autrcs afTcciion:. dc I'aouatcil rc&oir^-

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Suicide

Aiittfs nuladitv

[*^ DIRECTION 1

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y
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I'HO lOGKAFHIC COFY OK THK MONACO DEAIH KATI-

STABILITY OF SUICIDE RATES 399

graphically reproduced. It will be seen that they conform
in every respect to the demogi-aphical rules internationally
established. Thus statistics may be drawn up inter-
nationally on the same basis ; and if Monaco could not
produce and hold at the disposal of all countries the
details of its death-rate, it would deserve exclusion from
the pale of all civilised nations. How could the incidence,
distribution, seasonal aspects of diseases be studied and
known but for such statistics ? Suicide, if not exactly a
disease, is in any case epidemical. Even when Buckle
wrote his " History of Civilisation in Europe," though
demography was not then the science it has become
to-day, he was able to deal at length with the statistics
of suicides, showing the remarkable stability of this cause
of death. Buckle points out that money troubles do not
produce as many suicides as we might expect. After
alluding to political and commercial excitement and
stress he says :

" Nevertheless in this vast metropolis about 240
persons" (to-day it is more than 500) "every year make
away with themselves ; the annual suicides oscillating,
from the pressure of temporary causes, between 266 — the
highest, and 213 — the lowest. In 1846, which was the
great year of excitement caused by the railway panic,
the suicides in London were 266 ; in 1847 began a slight
improvement, and they fell to 256 ; in 1848 they were
247 ; in 1849 they were 213 and in 1850 they were 229."

The Monaco death-rate for 1911 shows that there
were 13 suicides out of a total of 319 deaths. This is
indeed a very high figure. It does not quite amount to
one suicide per day ; all the causes of death put together
did not produce one death per day ; but the number of
suicides was nevertheless distressingly high. Therefore
the details must be carefully studied. First of all, how
many were inliabitants who are not allowed to gamble
and how many were foreigners who may have gambled ?

400 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

The season when the great crowds come opens in October.
But during that month and in November and December
there was not a single suicide. During the other gambling
months — January, February and March — there were only
four suicides. Thus in the six most dangerous months, so
far as gambling is concerned, there were only four suicides.
If we refer back to the casino statistics given in a
previous chapter it will be seen that whereas more than
6000 persons entered the gambling rooms in one day
during the season, out of the season, on the 29th of
August 1911, when a count was made, there were only
930 people in the rooms. It is not likely that there were
more people in July ; yet in that one month we had four
suicides. This was really an epidemic of suicides. Thus
one of the persons who committed suicide was a coachman,
and his sister-in-law killed herself within a month.

The difficulty, of course, is to classify the suicides, and it
must be confessed that this can only be done approximately,
but that is precise enough for all practical purposes. To
the public at large, acquainted only with the Monte Carlo
suicide scare, the interest is limited to the number of
gamblers who have killed themselves, therefore this category
of suicides may be taken first. The January suicide in 1911
was that of a Russian, aged twenty-five years, evidently
a gambler. Then came the very sad case of the Austrian
gentleman, aged fifty-seven, and his wife, who both died
together. This was in February. In March an Austrian
commercial man, aged thirty-four, killed himself; and all
these four cases were undoubtedly due to gambling. After
that the calculation becomes more complicated. What shall
be said of the domestic servant who committed suicide ? She
did not gamble. But she lent her hard-earned savings to
her mistress, who promptly lost them all at roulette. In
her despair the servant, not her gambling mistress,
committed suicide. Is this non-gambler to be classified as
a gambling suicide ? Then there is the gardener. He was
terribly worried by his wife, who complained that she was
never well enough dressed. If the casino did not attract

CAUSES OF SOME SUICIDES 401

so many beautifully dressed women to Monte Carlo, this
gardener's wife might have been less anxious about her
own appearance and would not have so worried her husband
that he committed suicide by jumping off the rock at
Monaco. Is this a suicide caused by the casino ? Then in
May another coachman killed himself; this surely was
not due to the casino but probably to the competition
of motor cars. Perhaps someone will agitate for their
suppression because so many coachmen commit suicide.
The August suicide was that of an Italian mason who was
certainly never admitted to the casino ; but in September
an Austrian officer killed himself, and this again was
undoubtedly a gambler's suicide. It seems that out of the
thirteen suicides there were only five actual gamblers, and
here a really alarming and serious question arises. The
remaining eight suicides, occurring in a population of only
20,000 people, certainly constitute an exceptional figure. If
anyone is absolutely determined to raise a cry concerning
suicides there is the opportunity ; only it has no direct
connection with the casino crowd and the gambling.

The Penal Statistics issued by the Procurator-General
give, for the ten years, 1898-1907, the number of suicides
and attempted suicides at 106. There must have been very
few of the latter, for suicide is not, as in England, a legal
offence, so the courts have very rarely to deal with cases
of attempted suicides. From the Procurator- General I
obtained the following analysis of recent suicides. The
dossier of each case was brought out of the archives with
the following result: — In 1909, out of nine suicides three
were persons living on their income, three domestic
servants, one an engineer, one a mechanic and one a
carpenter. Thus four deaths out of the nine may have been
due to gambling. Of the nine, four were Italians, four
French and one German. For 1910, of seven suicides
whose dossiers were found — for there were nine in all, and
twelve during the previous year — two were labourers, one
was a doctor of medicine, one a journalist, one a mer-
chant, one an accountant and one a coachman. Four out of

2c

402 MONACO AND IMONTE CARLO

seven may have been victims of gambling. Five of them
were Italians and two were French. They lived, four at
Monaco, one at Beausoleil, one in Paris and one at Palermo.

For 1911 the demographical figures and the legal
statistics agree, as they both show the maximum record
of thirteen suicides in that one year. Of these, four were
persons living on their income, four were labourers, three
were employed by commercial houses, one was an oflBcer
and one worked at an hotel. With regard to nationality,
four were Italian, four French, two Hungarian, two
Russian and one Austrian. They lived, four in Monaco,
three in Austria, one each at St Petersburg, Vienna,
Milan, Paris, Toulon and Cap d'Ail.

During the first three months of 1912 there were a
great many suicides. A street sweeper or scavenger took
his own hfe, as did also a waiter at one of the hotels. There
were two suicides about whom it was impossible to obtain
any information, so they are registered as " unknown."
There was also a man living on his income ; five cases in
all during three months, and three of these were doubtless
due to gambling. It is, however, difficult to understand
the meaning of all these figures unless we bring them to
a point of comparison. Taking the average of ten years
ending in 1908, the death-rate from suicide of the London
population per annum was O'll per 1000. Since then, the
figure fell for 1909 to 0*09. Trying to harmonise the
official figures with the casino figures it is not possible to
go farther back than 1909. Even then we must not count
the first three months of that year, when there were no
fewer than seven suicides, because the casino year begins
on the 1st of April. From that date up to the 31st of
March 1910 there were only five suicides. But we must
take this figure so as to compare it to the 155,950
admittances to the casino during those twelve months.
It gives us a death-rate from suicide, among the frequenters
of the casino gaming-rooms, of 0-032 per 1000, admitting
that all five suicides were due to gambling. This, however,
is evidently an exceptional year.

SUICIDE RATES COMPARED 403

From 1st April to 31st December 1910 we have nine
suicides, of whom five may be counted as gamblers. Up
to the 31st of March 1911 there were four more, all
gamblers : 184,000 persons were admitted to the gaming-
tables, of whom nine committed suicide, and this is equal
to a death-rate of 0049 per 1000. But what is really
serious is that out of the 20,000 inhabitants who do not
gamble, who are not admitted into the gaming-rooms,
no fewer than four committed suicide. This means a
death-rate of 0.2 per 1000 inhabitants, which is twice as
high as the suicide death-rate of London. With all its
vice, misery, drunkenness, squalor and overcrowding the
metropolis has only half as many suicides per 1000 as
prosperous Monaco. As for the gamblers, the 5lonte Carlo
suicides, that is a comparatively unimportant matter, for
they number only one out of every 22,444 persons admitted
to the gambling saloons ; but one out of every 5000
inhabitants who were not admitted killed himself.

For the year 1911-1912, calculated in the same manner,
there were also thirteen suicides, of whom eight were
probably gamblers. As 194,000 persons were admitted to
the gaming saloons, this gives a proportion of 0'036 per
1000 gamblers and 026 per 1000 non-gamblers. In other
words, one gambler out of 24,250 committed suicide and
one out of 4000 non-gamblers. This is a startling dis-
covery, particularly if the JNIonaco figures are compared
with the London statistics, ^^^ly should there be
twice as many suicides among the inhabitants of the
principality who are not allowed to gamble as among
the inhabitants of London ? Here we have a much more
important and serious matter than the question of the few
gamblers who kill themselves. My first care, therefore, was
to inquire whether any special cause existed in the
principality, but most persons I consulted seemed to
think it was the effect of the climate. In that case, the
neighbouring Riviera towns must suffer in a similar
manner. Therefore on reaching Paris I proceeded to
consult one of the most prominent of French demographers,

404 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Dr Bertillon, Chief of the Statistical Department for the
town of Paris.

Dr Bertillon very kindly set to work to answer the
question ; and after consulting various documents and
making numerous calculations we obtained the following
figures : —

DEATHS FROM SUICIDE PER 1000 INHABITANTS

1909

1910

Nice

0-291

0-343

Cannes

0-273

0-174

Grasse

0099

0-147

Menton

0-230

0-230

Antibes

0085

0-512

Toulon

0-326

0-375

La Seyne

0-263

0153

Hyeres

0-294

0-235

Paris

0-246

0-271

London

0-090

At Monaco, for two years, the figures — putting the
gamblers aside — were 0"200 and 0'260. This is absolutely
similar to the above rates. Therefore the problem applies
not only to Monaco but to Paris and the whole Riviera.
It is, I repeat, well worth while inquiring why, in this most
beautiful country, twice as many people kill themselves
as in London ?

As for the Monte Carlo crowd, belonging to the
exceptionally fortunate and wealthy classes, it is obvious
that they are not likely to commit suicide. But there is a
certain number of persons who are in a mentally unhealthy
condition, and there are others come here as a last resort
before committing suicide. They are driven to suicide by
what has occurred in their own business and home. As a
forlorn hope, a last chance, they risk the little they possess
on the tables. It does not seem to have occurred to anyone
that sometimes — I fear not often, but sometimes — they
may win. The man who is ruined and on the verge of
bankruptcy may win enough to tide over the difficulty.
Then it is not the casino that has caused a suicide but it

BLOOD-STAINED DIVIDENDS 405

is the casino that has prevented a suicide. There are no
statistics to record these cases, but they do exist.

The above calculations show that the death-rate among
the Monte Carlo gamblers amounted to 0*049 per 1000 in
the year 1910-1911 and to 0036 per 1000 in the year 1911-
1912. The casino is a joint-stock company run to secure
dividends for its shareholders ; and in doing so the result
is that, on an average, 0*040 or 0*045 per 1000 of the people
they attract commit suicide. This is very sad : no one
defends gambling, it is a vice v^rhich all legislatures and
reformers have desired to abolish. But if the dividends of
the casino shareholders are blood-stained, we have not
forgotten the coffin ships and the Plimsoll agitation, though
we have allowed the Pliinsoll line to be dangerously raised.
AVe also know that by spending more money on inspection
and inspectors the appalling loss of life in coal mines
could be reduced ; and the holocaust of railway servants
would be considerably lessened if shareholders could be
persuaded to sacrifice a small portion of their dividends
to establish automatic couplings. Taking the Abstract of
Eabour Statistics issued by the Board of Trade it will be
found that of 600,000 railway servants in the united
kingdom, the number killed during the last sixteen years
fluctuated from 372 to 631 annually. From 1895 to 1909,
the killed or drowned among sailors has varied from the
minimum annual casualty death-rate of 4*090 per 1000 to
the maximum of 8*090. During the previous fifteen years
the death-rate in the coal mines varied from 1*240 to
1*490 per 1000. But in 1910 there was a much greater
number of fatal accidents among miners, no fewer than
1769 being killed. It has been calculated that on an
average there is only four and a half days' work done in
the coal mines per week. Therefore if we divide the
number of killed by 234 days it will be seen that
on an average 7 miners were killed on every working
day. Thus about as many miners are killed in a single day
as there are gamblers who commit suicide at Monte Carlo
during an entire year.

406 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

By all means let us save this handful of gamblers if we
can ; but without mentioning other dangerous occupations,
it may possibly occur even to shareholders that the
thousands of sailors, railway servants and miners annually
sacrificed for the sake of dividends were more useful
members of society than the gamblers who are feeble
enough to destroy themselves. Therefore when the owners
of mining property, the shareholders in railways and ships,
talk indignantly about the suicides at Monte Carlo, they
might also devote some of their energy to removing the
blood-stains from their own dividends. The beam is not
only in the Englishman's eye, it stands out large and
threatening in the eye of the American and in that of all
other commercial and industrial nations.

CHAPTER XIII

THE CASINO GARDENS

ON the receipts the casino makes we have seen that
a good round sum is paid over to the prince, by
whom it is used for the benefit, first of the
principahty, and then for the promotion of the arts and
sciences to the advantage of the world at large. Thus all
nations receive some return for the wealth they have
brought to Monaco. But, apart from this, the casino itself
also spends large sums in a manner that is of general
advantage, so that all may, to some extent, participate
in the extraordinary success achieved. One outlay of this
description is the gardens, where far more is done than the
mere necessities of ornamentation would suggest. Here
are provided exceptional facilities for the study of horti-
culture and floriculture.

Of course it is "quite the proper thing" to speak
highly of the casino gardens. If they are mentioned
in commonplace conversation, the words " lovely," " very
nice," " beautiful " will surely be heard. But how few
persons, even when they employ superlative expi'cssions of
admiration, fully feel what they say, or in any way realise
why these gardens deserve enthusiastic eulogium. But
there are other more appreciative and thoughtful people,
and they would be interested and more observant if they
were only a little better informed. Perhaps one of the
most delightful experiences in the casino gardens is to
open conversation with a likely person and offer some
explanation concerning the beauty, the history, the utility
of one or more of the many surrounding horticultural

407

408 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

specimens. Such an experiment will generally prove that
it is neither indolence nor incapacity, but merely ignor-
ance, which prevents appreciation and a fuller enjoyment
of the glories of nature that abound in the casino gardens.
Even those who have no eye for colour nor admiration
of form would be impressed if they knew what these
gardens meant in the matter of forethought, preparation
and organisation.

In front of the main entrance to the casino is one vast
expanse of flowers. On either side and throughout the
gardens there are numerous minor flower-beds. At all
times, in all seasons, the flowers are fresh and in full
bloom. It may be January or June — the flowers are not
the same and their colours vary — but the flower-beds are
always full, and it always seems to be the height of the
season for one or the other of the many blossoms that
grace these marvellous gardens. How do they all get there,
and how many are required ? They do not grow of their
own accord, especially in mid-winter, nor do they march
in and march out of the gardens each in due season.
Every individual plant must be sown, nursed and carefully
brought up till it has become a fully developed adult,
capable of going out on duty. But the gardens are so
vast, the changes of flowers so frequent, that a great
organising genius alone could keep up a sufficient and
constant supply.

After conscientiously clambering over the acres and
acres of forcing grounds, then penetrating innumerable
hothouses, and finally compiling statistical records, the
problem assumed a character similar to that of the
organisation of an army. What had Carnot to do when
he created fourteen armies and " organised victory " ? He
did not bring into the field half as many soldiers as there
are flowers required to occupy their allotted positions in
the casino gardens, and certainly his soldiers were not as
handsome and healthy as the flowers. Though doubtless
Carnot joined his troops in singing the " Marseillaise," he
did not provide for future generations of combatants to

A FLOWER -MARSHAL 409

enter " daii^ la ccwriere qtiand nos aines ny seront

But the chief in command of the casino gardens has not
only to occupy every strategic position all the year round,
he must rear from their earliest infancy other forces ready
to take the place of the veterans as they fall at their posts
or grow old and weary. This gigantic undertaking is
entrusted to Monsieur Jules van den Daele, Knight
of the Order of Saint Charles, Officer of the Order of
Agricultural JNlerit and member of several horticultural
societies. For my part, anxious to render homage to so
great a power of mobilisation and organisation, I felt
inclined to confer on the casino's chief gardener the title
of Field-Marshal ; but if the work done is, in many
respects, similar to that of a military command, the result,
being wholly pacific, is infinitely preferable. Therefore it
would not be correct to speak of Field-Marshal van den
Daele ; on the other hand, as a master organiser of living
things he is fully entitled to be described as Flower-
Marshal van den Daele. The principality offers no scope
for the genius that would organise an army of warriors,
but it has produced a very distinguished coinmander of an
army of flowers, and this is necessary in a country where
there are so many flower-lovers and such frequent battles
of flowers.

Naturally the provision of flowers that can be exposed
to the open air during the coldest months of winter is the
greatest difficulty. For this purpose, 100,000 Cyclamens of
the Persian variety are planted in August so that they
may be ready for the forthcoming winter. With these, as
with most of the other flowers, the finest specimens are
not sent to the front, in what may well be described as the
fighting line, but are kept at home for seed. Even in the
fighting line — that is to say, in the casino gardens — some
succour, some protection is occasionally provided. Just as
soldiers throw up a trench to resist an eager foe ; so do the
gardeners, in the dark, when no one can see, come with

* To follow the career when our elders are no longer there.

410 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

hurdles, and various sorts of sheltering materials, to place
round the flower-beds and ward off the frosty night air.
All this is removed again before the return of daylight
and the warm southern sun. Early, very early in the year,
long before Primrose Day, an army of some 150,000 Chinese
Primulas is moved forward, flanked by 40,000 Piimuhi
obco?iica. These wonderful primroses are of many colours.
Some are actually a bright blue, others mauve, red, light
and dark reds to rose and white. There is a yellow speci-
men from Kew Gardens which grows in storeys ; this con-
sists of a circle of flowers, then a piece of straight stem
growing out of the centre, and at a higher level another
circle of flowers ; thus it may be said that some of these
primroses are three or four storeys high. As for the
ordinary field primrose, such as may be picked under the
hedges in England, it would be of no use whatsoever, for it
blooms far too late in the year.

For winter use, there are also a good many Cinerarias,
and many specimens of these come from England. The
leaves resemble somewhat those of the marguerite, and
are of various tints, but there is one of a brick-red colour
that shows up remarkably on the grass. It is named the
Matador, perhaps because it recalls the sanguinary results
of a Spanish bull-fight. Some of these plants have double
flowers, and in number they equal an army corps —
namely, 30,000. But these flowers mentioned, together
with some 40,000 pinks and 10,000 rose-trees, only
represent the " crack " regiments of the army. They are
the picked troops, dressed in extravagant uniforms made
with rich cloth of the brightest colours, ornamented with
plenty of braiding. They are the regiments of the guard,
the cavalry, the artillery and the scientiflc corps. The
troops of the line, which are more modest, but often more
useful, and always the most numerous, have not yet been
mentioned. These comprise from 200,000 to 300,000
Saiitoiiina, a plant which has a silver-grey leaf, rather
hke that of the everlasting flower, and here it serves to
outline flower-beds. Elsewhere it is used for medical

A MIGHTY FLORAL ARIVIY 411

purposes. There is another medical plant, the familiar
yellow camomile flower, which also helps in making
designs. The largest contingent is that of the pansy. Of
these there are many varieties, from quite a common little
blue flower to large, velvet-Uke death's heads of mysteri-
ous colouring and weird expression. The line, as repre-
sented by the pansy, numbers from 400,000 to 500,000 ;
but there are nearly as many daisies — namely, 300,000 to
400,000 ; and a further contingent of 200,000 to 300,000
Pyrethrums, or fever-few, used for designs in flowers.
Thus the troops of the line may be estimated at 1,500,000,
while the choice regiments number 390,000 rank and file.
Flower- JNIarshal van den Daele has to supply the necessary
sustenance to 1,890,000 small plants and flowers, and to
constantly mobilise portions of this great army. Such a
task needs an amount of prevision and oi-ganisation
worthy of a Von Moltke.

Of course all the annual flowers can be displayed but
once. The difference is that in an ordinary garden a flower
would be made to last two months, here it is only utilised
for a month, during the zenith of its power. But there are
others constantly growing to take its place.

Some flowers can only serve in the gardens for a
fortnight at a time. This is notably the case when they
are in full bloom. Others may remain in position for
a month or two, but all are changed at least five or
six times in the year. It will be seen, therefore, that
it is not only a question of bringing into healthy exist-
ence something like two million living things ; but that
these have to be constantly moved about. It is a vast
army, reared on the hillside, where artificial shelter and
heat is provided. Then constantly army corps are made
up by selecting the most fit, and these are sent down to
the fighting line — that is, the casino gardens. Here they
are exposed to charges by trespassing dogs, to the bom-
bardment of children's balls and playthings, and, still
more fatal, to the chilly night air or the fierce mistral wind.
In this contest many of the flowers are killed outright.

412 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

The amount of work all this implies renders
it necessary to employ 150 gardeners. 5lany of the
flowers have to be divided after they have begun to
grow, and put into forcing ground, then into small
pots, etc., and are thus transplanted four times before
they are taken out to the gardens for ornamental pur-
poses. The preparing of the earth is an expensive and
complicated process. It is not the dry limestone rocks
round the principality that can provide a suitable mould.
This must be imported. A large quantity is collected
from under the chestnut-trees in Corsica and is brought
from the island in small sailing boats. The boats take
seven to eight days to come over, and the trade is hardly
likely to yield much profit. Other very good soil is
obtained from heatherland, and is imported by rail or in
carts. It must then be carried to the hillside where the
casino nursery gardens rise in terrace after terrace, right
away into French territory, up the valley of the Moulin
torrent.

From the higher end or top of the casino garden,
going eastwards, runs the main thoroughfare of this part
of the principality. It is called the Boulevard des Moulins,
and a little farther on a rivulet, which sometimes swells
into a torrent, passes under this road. The water, though
in the dry season but scant in volume, comes down from
so great a height that it acquires sufficient velocity to
turn the wheel of a water-mill. Here the olives gathered
from the wild groves that covered the promontory now
known as Monte Carlo were crushed and converted into
oil. The wheel of the mill or moulhi which gives its name
to the quarter still remains overgrown with weeds ; a
green and grey meinento of the sylvan simplicity and rural
life that preceded the advent of the casino. Now, instead
of sweet olive oil we have an appalling accumulation of
foul linen ; for on the farther or eastern side of the
mountain stream a modern steam laundry has been
erected. On the nearer side is the V^illa des Roses, and
here are the headquarters and the offices of M. van den

THE FIRST GARDENERS 413

Daele. At one time M. van den Daele worked for
M. Gintry of Ghent, the celebrated traveller and horticul-
turist. Their cultivations were so successful that some of
the plants they sent to the Paris Universal Exhibition
of 1878 were sold for as much as £320 each. In 1880,
M. van den Daele was engaged to assist M. Forckel, at that
time the chief gardener in the employ of the late Madame
Blanc. The experience of Homburg had demonstrated
the utility of possessing close at hand beautiful gardens,
where fresh air and pleasant scenery could be enjoyed
without going too far away from the allurements of the
casino. From the very first, therefore, when the Monte
Carlo casino was but in its infancy, expensive trees and
plants were imported and flower-beds laid out. Just above
the casino gardens, where to-day stand large hotels and
houses, Madame Blanc had five hothouses built, and
secured some of the rarest plants from Prince DemidofTs
Palace of San Donato, near Florence. One of the hot-
houses was 60 feet high and 164 feet long, so that it
might contain magnificent trees from tropical countries.

As a matter of fact, M. Forckel was a horticulturist,
rather than a cultivator ; and, as the figures given above
indicate, rapid and extensive cultivation is needed to
keep the casino gardens bright with flowers in full
bloom. When, in 1880, M. van den Daele first came to
Monte Carlo, he found the gardens in a shocking state
of neglect. The scullerymen, after washing the plates
and dishes at the Hotel de Paris, were sent out to water
the flowers. Ferns and other plants of great value withered
up. It was a pitiful massacre. Some ferns are very costly,
and grow to the size of trees. I remember seeing in one
of Madame Blanc's hothouses a Blechvum lirasiUenms
with leaves that were more than six feet long. Gradually
M. Forckel and M. van den Daele, working together,
managed to get things in better order, but they always
had the greatest difficulty in securing competent and
willing assistants.

Before the advent of the casino, the local resources

414 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

were very restricted and the population correspondingly
poor. Consequently, any opportunity of earning money
would, it might be thought, be welcome ; but the climate
is antagonistic to hard work. ^Vork was natural and
well suited to Northerners such as M. van den Daele. The
dwellers on the shores of the North Sea need work to
keep themselves warm ; and if they did not work they
would starve, or the sea would overflow the dikes and
drown them. It was all Aery well for men of the Flemish
race to be eloquent about the virtues of and the necessity
for work ; but why should those who were born on the
fruitful shore of the Mediterranean trouble themselves ?
Why not sit still, breathe the balmy air and enjoy life
without further effort ? But there are a few necessaries
that have to be bought ; this is acknowledged, and there-
fore a little work will be done so as to earn enough
money to purchase indispensable articles. This, however,
is not a sufficient reason to justify any strain or exhausting
effort. How can life be enjoyable if it means fatigue and
heat ? Why should a poor man, quite content and happy
in his poverty, bustle and hurry as if he had a chance of
making a fortune or of receiving high pay ? Let the rich
and the well-paid harass themselves if they choose ; but
the poor southern labourer, who can live on a piece of
bread and a little garlic, prefers to lie in the sun with his
hat over his eyes and slowly breathe the balsamic air
perfumed with thyme, myrtle, lavender and rose. Thus,
while willing to do a little work now and then, the native
has a natural objection to continuous toil. Therefore it
has been necessary to import gardeners from without the
principality, men from distant countries, where in-
dustrious habits are acquired because the conditions of
existence are not so easy.

Some of the work needs very considerable muscular
effort. This is notably the case in lifting and transporting
the larger plants, such as ornamental palm-trees. Now
that the gardens have been under cultivation for more
than thirty years some very rare and handsome trees

THE BATTLE FLOWERS WAGE 415

have attained great height and size. Younger trees, still
kept in pots, are conveyed to ornament banqueting halls,
concert-rooms, theatrical representations, etc. Providing
floral decorations for various functions implies a great
deal of hard work. For the young trees it is a terrible
experience, and a large hospital has had to be constructed
to receive these victims of the JMonte Carlo dissipations.
In the hospital they are protected from the excessive
heat of direct rays of sunshine and from the wind. The
branches which have been wounded are amputated, and
plants may have to be tenderly nui'sed for a year, some-
times two years, before they ai'e presentable again. Most
of the smaller trees are worth only 4s. or 5s. each ; but
a good-sized palm may cost from £12 to £16. A palm is
much dearer in a tub than in the earth. A fan-palm, from
ten to twelve years old, if in good condition, might sell
for £85 when in a tub. But it would have attained its
actual dimensions some years sooner if it had been
allowed to grow in the earth. Plants, like wine, become
more valuable the longer they are kept.

In the excitement of the ballroom, or while cheering
the toasts at a banquet, how few persons think that the
ornamental plants around them are fighting the greatest
battle of their lives. Tortured by an unnatural light,
poisoned by unwholesome heat and a noxious atmosphere,
bruised by blows, their branches and leaves snapped and
broken by the pressure of crowds of unsympathetic,
thoughtless people, how many of these plants survive ?
The loss of life in the course of a season is put down at
some 30 per cent., and it really is questionable whether
the ornamental effect produced is worth the sacrifice. To
arrange cut flowers on a table seems not unnatural ; they
make a beautiful decoration, and in any case would not
have lived much longer. But to place a palm-tree in the
middle of a table is unnatural. I'alms do not grow on
dining-room tables, nor are they intended to be squeezed
up against the wall at the end of a ballroom. However,
there is a demand for that sort of thing, therefore vast

416 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

hothouses and floral hospitals have to be maintained by
the casino gardeners to provide for this costly exaction
of modern fashion, but they do no trade. If the casino
gives a ball or a banquet, they provide flowers for de-
corations. If a private person or an hotelkeeper gives
a banquet, they get flowers from the numerous trading
horticulturists to be found in the principality.

At best, a big tree in a little pot is but a poor thing,
and nowhere can this be better realised than in the
casino gardens themselves. Of all the luxuries to be
enjoyed at Monte Carlo none can excel the magnificent
exotic and costly trees that flourish in these gardens.
If anyone wants a sure system of winning at every spin of
the roulette, let him go and revel in the gardens. Counting
the small flowers and the large trees we have seen that
some two million plants are displayed for him to enjoy
during the course of a single year. So long as the visitor
abstains from playing he will have won all this ; a good
prize, surely, and a perfectly safe system. In the summer,
when the casino windows are open, the chink of the silver
and gold can be heard in the gardens. The botanist, the
horticulturist, even the simple visitor who possesses no
technical knowledge, but appreciates colour and form,
who loves nature, can sit in the pure, perfumed air and
feast his eyes on the beautiful scene, while the rattle of
coin sounding from the overheated gaming-rooms reminds
him that others are paying for his enjoyment. Indeed, it
is so obvious that the true and absolutely certain system
of winning at Monte Carlo is not to play at all, that there
are a good many people who do not care to play, who are
in no wise gamblers, and who yet throw a few pieces on
the table just " for the good of the house." These are
visitors who (like the admirable and public- spirited
citizens that send conscience-money to the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, fearing they have not been charged
enough income-tax), feel it is hardly fair to come and
enjoy everything without contributing towards the
expenses. Therefore, they try to lose a few pieces on the

HOW TO WIN AT EVERY SPIN 417

tables. It would be interesting to know what such persons
feel when they fail to lose.

The charm of the gardens does not depend only on
their beauty, but also, and especially, on the fact that
though we are still in Europe, and quite near to the
northern parts of Europe, we have here semi-tropical and
even tropical trees and shrubs. That the date of the palm-
tree never ripens sufficiently to render it fit for eating
shows, however, that the tree is not indigenous to the
soil. On the other hand, there is a passage in Bouche's
" Histoire de Provence," which might be cited to prove
that tlie palm and other trees are of native growth. This
historian relates that King Henry IV., having slept at the
Chateau d'Hyeres, set forth on the following morning,
which was Sunday, the 29th of October 1564, to examine
the palm, orange and pepper trees that grew in the
neighbourhood. At the beginning of the nineteenth
century there were, however, no palm-trees on the French
Riviera. In the early part of last century the first palm-
trees were planted at Hyeres. Throughout Andalusia
the Moors had introduced their favourite trees ; doubtless,
they did the same on the French Riviera, and some of
their plantations may have survived when Hyeres was
visited by Henry IV.

Hyeres is the oldest of the health resorts. It was
popular as a winter station before Cannes and Nice had
been discovered, and when Monaco and Menton were
utterly unknown. Hyeres also was one of the first places
where a trade was created in early fruits, vegetables and
the making of horticultural experiments. The palm-trees,
successfully raised on the Place des Palmiers, helped to
advertise Hyeres in so profitable a manner that now
wherever on the coast-line attempts are made to attract
foreign visitors, the first step taken is to grow palm-trees.
The eucalyptus or Australian blue gum-tree was also
found to be an excellent advertising medium. Shortly after
the Crimean War, one of the most celebrated horticulturists
of Hyeres, M. Uellor, at that time a partner of the

2 D

418 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

renowned firm of Huber & Company, attempted to
cultivate the eucalyptus, but it was not appreciated. Some
ten years later, in 1864, M. Ramel returned to Hyeres
from a journey to Australia, where he had made the ac-
quaintance of Herr von Miiller, director of the JNIelbourne
Botanical Garden, and he brought a collection of eucalyptus
seeds and plants. By that time some knowledge had gained
ground concerning the sanitary properties of the tree ; so
that M. Ramel succeeded where M. Dellor had failed,
and he soon became known as "■ Le Pcre de l Eucalyptus."

The tree grows very rapidly. It contains a large
quantity of volatile oil which, like the resin of the fir-tree,
is a source of ozone. While it helps to purify the atmos-
phere, the roots spreading fast and far dry up damp and
marshy soil. It has been observed that when planted in
districts where malaria prevailed, the presence of the
eucalyptus-trees checked the progress of the disease. The
oil of the eucalyptus, as a powerful antiseptic and dis-
infectant, is often preferred to carbolic acid, since it does
not produce local irritation, and is not poisonous. To have
so valuable a tree growing in abundance close at hand
is an advantage for which we should all gratefully recall
the names of M. Dellor and M. Ramel. But though
abounding throughout the neighbourhood, the eucalyptus
is disappearing from the principality. Perhaps the trees
take up too much room ; besides, their roots will soon
force their way through the foundations of a wall and
endanger any neighbouring structure.

From the very first, great ciForts were made to
cultivate palm-trees in the casino gardens, and it was
rightly thought that they were especially suited to
decorate the celebrated terraces that overlook the sea.
Unfortunately the salt sea- winds that sweep these terraces
were not at all suitable for the palms. There they remained
much as they were when planted, looking picturesque,
but refusing to grow, and soon showing decided signs
of decrepitude. Now, poor things, they are coaxed and
cajoled into prolonging their irksome life. Waistbands

PALM AND EUCALYPTUS 419

round their trunks with wires cunningly attached, hold
the trees up, so that in spite of themselves they are
obliged to continue the struggle for existence ; but if they
were left alone they would soon lie down, glad to leave
this weary world. Yet apart from these, the earliest trees
planted, which figure in all the first and traditional views
of the casino terraces, the other trees, and even the palm-
trees, have prospered exceedingly. Something had been
learnt by experience, and the gardens are sheltered from
the sea-wind by the casino buildings themselves. As
a result, we have not only the date-palm, but very fine
and lofty cocoanut-trees. There are the cocos datil, the
cocos Jiexuosa and the cocos romanzojjinicma, which
attain a height of from 30 to 40 feet. Indeed there
is a date-palm that is almost 50 feet high, but it is not
on the terrace overlooking the sea. 'Wvq phoenix ccmciriends
is distinguished by its plentiful foliage, and is not supposed
to be very tall ; yet there is one palm of this species that
is 33 feet high, and a phcetiLv spinosa stands to the height
of 30 feet.

Some of the charnoerops have developed to formidable
proportions ; but for size and robust appearance it would
be difficult to excel the indiarubber-trees. One of these
is particularly wortliy of attention. It is not only a mag-
nificent tree, for it measures some 80 feet in circumference
and 60 feet in height, but it seems to convey an object
lesson in the duties of family life. After leaving the
casino, the visitor will find it on the right-hand side
about half way up the garden. The blue metallic label
standing in front will inform the attentive observer that
the tree is a ficus Roxbtirghii. On examination, it will
at once be seen that the tree has several stems. In the
centre there is obviously the parent trunk, and round
it several younger ones. Then, on looking up, it will
be noticed that some of the lower branches are letting
down a strange sort of growth. This is neither twig nor
branch. It does not stretch forth as leaves and branches
do, so as to get as much light, air and rain as they can

420 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

catch ; but on the contrary it points straight downward,
as if determined to reach the earth. This, indeed, is its
object. When the larger branches of the tree, which may
well be considered as the elder children of the family,
begin to feel that their parent trunk is weakening with
age, they come to the rescue. Instead of using all their
youthful vitality to grow more twigs and more leaves,
and thus secure the largest share possible of life's enjoy-
ment, they devote at least some of their strength to
producing woody fibre which, growing downward, will
ultimately reach the ground. Taking root there, this
growth from the branch will develop into an auxiliary
stem to stand by, strengthen and support the parent
trunk, and thus prolong the life of the entire family,
while giving at the same time a magnificent example
of filial duty and gratitude.

Higher up on the same side of the garden, near a
kiosk where nurses and children generally find shelter,
there is another scene in which the plants offer an ex-
ample less worthy of imitation. It is a dramatic illustra-
tion of the struggle for life, a real fight between two
formidable plants. On one side there stands, proudly
erect, a date-palm from Africa, phoenix dactilifera by
name. At some distance, but near enough, there is a
cactus from Mexico justly named after the serpent ; it is
the cereus serpentirms cactees. But it is not one serpent,
it is a cluster of serpents, suggesting the avenging furies,
the head of the Medusa. These many serpents, like the
arms of an octopus, have thrown themselves upon the
palm-tree. Some encircle the trunk low down near the root ;
others stretch out and reach as high up as possible ; the
majority take the medium course of striking the nearest
point where they can get firm hold. It is quite clear they
will not spare the tree, and it is difficult to see what
defence the palm can offer against its numerous persistent
and thorny aggressors.

Close to this singular scene on the other side of the
path there is a very rare banana, the strelitzia Augusta.

^ < J

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CACTUS AND RARE TREES 421

But the leaves unfortunately are much spoilt and torn by
the wind. Facing the kiosk to which allusion has been
made, and therefore also close at hand, are two splendid and
gigantic cereus validus cades from South America. These
were secured from the Villa Walewski by M. van den
Daele himself. Both were cut from the same parent
plant, and now they have been growing in the open for
twenty-eight years. They are undoubtedly the most perfect
specimens on the whole Riviera. It is marvellous to see
how this cactus stands upright in spite of its great height,
and the absence of any kind of support. It has large and
numerous red fruits growing from the dark green stem.
But for their oval shape, they might be taken for billiard
balls, and it appears that the inside is edible ; sweet and
glutinous, it might make good jam. Quite different from
this flavour is that of an insignificant shrub behind a bench
facing the entrance of the Palais des Beaux Arts. It has
angry but concealed thorns that surprise and attack the
hands of the investigator. But if, nevertheless, one of the
little seed pods can be secured, squeezed and tasted, it will
be discovered that the shrub belongs to the cayenne
pepper variety. Not only are there many specimens of
trees from far-off and tropical countries, but these have
been so skilfully grouped that there are certain points of
view where European vegetation seems to have entirely
disappeared. Here tropical scenery is enjoyed without
the inconveniences of a tropical climate. The arrangement
is wonderful, and anyone with some powers of imagination
could sit on this spot and dream dreams of the Orient for
hours together.

Perhaps the most remarkable group of trees is that
which stands between the casino and the side of the Cafd
de Paris. Here there is a chamcerops Martiana which is of
the greatest technical interest. To the ordinary observer
it appears smaller and not so imposing as many other
chamoei'ops to be seen all along the Riviera, yet there is
none so big elsewhere and it is a unique specimen in
Europe. Two other similar trees exist, one at I^yons and

422 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

another at Kew Gardens, but both are in hothouses, not
in the open air as at Monte Carlo. This special sort of
cliamoei'ops comes from the Himalaya mountains. Near to
it there are other rare trees, the cocas Roiuanzqffiana ;
the Brahea RoezU, with its beautiful blue-tinted leaves ;
and the enormous leaves of the Sabal umh-acuUera are rarely
seen to such perfection as in this little cluster of trees,
placed just where everybody passes, and yet so little
noticed.

Twice a year, in February and March, there is a show
of plants and flowers at the Palais des Beaux Arts. The
number of people who pay to go to these shows proves
that there is a considerable public interested in the subject.
Abroad, at the various exhibitions, the casino sends
specimens from its gardens and generally carries off a
prize. This was notably the case at Paris, Brussels,
Florence, etc. At Monte Carlo, in the gardens, Germans
take notes, go over and over again the same ground and
read the labels at the foot of the plants. The Englishman
passes with the haughty indifference of his self-ascribed
superiority. He has seen nothing, he has learnt nothing,
but then he is an Englishman. The posts vacant for
scientific work in different parts of the world, and a good
many in England itself, are being filled by Germans.
Therefore we ought to build more Dreadnoughts and
carry out an extensive measure of Tariff Reform. The fact
of the matter is we ought to go to school, and this is the
lesson I learnt from strolling about in the casino gardens

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CHAPTER XIV

MONTE CARLO OPERA, ORCHESTRA AND STAGE SCENERY

WHEN the negotiations took place for the renewal
of the monopoly enjoyed by the casino, Prince
Albert I. seized the occasion to convert the
theatre into a public service. So far as the casino and its
patrons were concerned, any sort of performance was good
enough. But the prince explained, and laid great emphasis
on his declarations, that he was determined the theatre
should not be an attraction organised merely for the
purpose of bringing gamblers to Monaco. It must be an
institution that rendered service to the cause of art, apart
from commercial or casino interests. In carrying out this
idea the prince thought he had been most fortunate in dis-
covering and bringing forward Mr Gunsbourg. He was, the
prince declared, a real genius. In a week or a fortnight he
would put on the stage an opera which, in Paris, would
take six months to prepare. Then the prince had gathered
around him composers, notably JNIassenet, who wrote
operas expressly for the Monte Carlo theatre ; operas and
artists were thus brought out for the first time and
launched into fame. In this manner, a real service was
being rendered to the cause of art, and those who were
proficient in their art could hope for recognition and
reward at Monte Carlo.

When the theatre was used mainly as an advertisement
for the casino, no endeavour was made to bring out new
talent. On the contrary, that which was, if not old, at
least well established and popular paid best as a means
of attracting people. The Monte Carlo theatre strove to
engage the best-known performers. This was, to some

423

424 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

extent, the crowning of their career, rather than their
debut. But, even at first, the casino theatre did a great
deal in creating new operas and increased the possibility
of success in such creations by employing well-recognised
talent. Now the production of new singers, of unknown
but able performers, has been added to the programme.
To-day the object is to be useful even at the risk of an
occasional failure. Twenty years have now elapsed since
Mr Gunsbourg became Director of the Monte Carlo
Opera, and he has made it the rival of Paris and Berlin,
of London and New York. As often as not, it is Monte
Carlo that leads in the creation of new operas and new
singers. Therefore composers and singers now look to
Monte Carlo as the road to fame and fortune. Then it
is not only the new that is brought into life, but the old
and forgotten that is revived. For instance, in 1903 we
had the revival, on a most splendid and lavish scale, of
Massenet's Herodiade. A masterpiece that had lain
dormant for twenty years was so rendered by Calv^,
Tamagno and Renaud, surrounded by such majestic,
beautiful scenery and accompanied by the perfect
orchestration we always enjoy when Jehin leads, that the
faded laurels revived and the forgotten opera became
popular again.

Among the great singers who owe their reputation
to their early success at Monte Carlo the renowned
Caruso stands first. Gunsbourg's greatest discovery, how-
ever, is Chaliapine. According to Mr H. Villiers Barnett,
who had followed so closely all these developments and
describes them, step by step, in The Continental Weekly,
Chaliapine is the mightiest artist in opera of this age.
It was nine years ago now that he revealed himself by his
terrific rendering of Mefistofele in Boito's opera. This
he followed by proving himself a perfect actor when
personifying the old madman in Ronssalka. He then
showed that the part of King Lear would not be beyond
his understanding of insanity. More recently, and after
his reputation had been thoroughly established, Don

THE OPERA 425

Quixote and Ivan the Terrible were his great creations.
Don Quixote, hke Massenet's other operas, Theresc and
the Jongleur de Notre Dame, were first produced, not
in Paris, but at Monte Carlo, though Massenet held the
first rank among the living French composers of music.

While these important novelties were pressed forward,
the Italian opera, whether old or new, was not neglected.

With splendour and every necessary accompaniment,
the operas of Donizetti, Rossini or Bellini were heard,
as also those of Puccini, Leoncavallo and Mascagni. To
return to France, Gounod's Faust, Bizet's Carmen, and
Reyer's Salammbo were given, with a revival of Offenbach's
Contes (T Hoffmann and Berlioz's Dam/iation de Faust.
Indeed the thi-ee Fansts were heard in one season — namely,
the operas composed on this theme by Gounod, Boito
and Berlioz. For man)^ of these operas new scenery,
a totally new conception of scenery, was invented. The
wonderful results achieved are attributed to Mr
Gunsbourg's special genius.

In fairness, however, it must be recorded that there
is a good deal of animosity displayed against Mr
Gunsbourg. Time and opportunity have failed me, and
I cannot profess to know more than that in some cases
such hostility seems due to racial and religious prejudices
rather than to any real reason based on knowledge of art.
Such opponents urged that, considering the enormous
amount of money spent, better results could be obtained.
The successes achieved are due, they argue, not to any
special ability on the part of the general manager, but
to the fact that each section is so admirably organised.
It is only necessary to say what is needed and it is forth-
coming. Then there is this sovereign reason, that the
want of money never stands in the way. If in the scenery
department 300 yards of canvas are required it is supplied
at once and without a question. At an ordinary theatre
or opera, the scenery department would be told to so
exercise their ingenuity as to manage with 200 yards,
or at the very most 250 yards. At Monte Carlo, where

426 MONACO AND] MONTE CARLO

the prince pays the stars and the casino the ordinary
staff, there is no need to strive to do things cheaply, and
therefore success is easier to attain. Opinions, 1 found,
were much divided. Some said the result was not com-
mensurate with the resources and that Mr Gunsbourg
was only a heaven-born genius in that he knew how to
avail himself of other people's talents. This, however, is
surely just the very form of ability the director of an
opera house must possess.

To put the case from the other side, Mr H. Villiers
Barnett, who ought to know, thus describes Mr Guns-
bourg :

" His mastery consists in consummate comprehensive
stage management. Comprehensive. Not management
of only personal details, but management of the whole
presentation. He sees it as a whole ; handles it as a
whole ; inspires and harmonises all its parts with one
high purpose. There can be no doubt as to what that
purpose is. It is the impulsion of all the elements of
the representation towards a complete intense unity of
splendid and artistic expression. It is the co-ordination of
all the material factors and the inspiration of all the
personal factors into one idea. It is Wagner's theory of
opera in action."

All this praise notwithstanding, a good general needs
good soldiers. Therefore it seemed necessary to inquire
how some of the more important sections are organ-
ised and, from the very first, the casino was distin-
guished for its orchestra. The casino had not been
in existence twenty years when already the orchestra
numbered eighty picked instrumentalists, and was con-
sidered at least equal, if not superior, to that of the
London Covent Garden Opera House. At that time
there were generally two concerts a day, free to all who
chose to enter and occupy one of the comfortable stalls in
the sumptuous theatre Charles Garnier had built. Twenty
years ago theatrical representations or an opera were
looked upon as exceptional attractions ; whereas to-day.

COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT 427

in the season, such performances occur several times in
the week. It is only in the summer, when the crowds
have left, that the old state of things is restored, and the
visitors and general public can enjoy gratuitously the
daily concerts.

The recruiting of the orchestra has been steadily
improved till it has reached the highest degree of perfec-
tion. Formerly musicians were engaged because they had
recommendations, and of course because they were con-
sidered skilled in their art. Now introductions, patronage,
recommendations are of no use. The best talent available
is secured by means of competitive examinations. As an
example, that will be appreciated by musicians, of the
severity of the tests applied, the following is the precise
text of an announcement issued ; —

"Monte Carlo, 20 March 1911.

" A competitive examination for the post of Second
Trumpet and Piston in the orchestra of the Casino of
Monte Carlo will take place on the 20th of April next, at
9 in the morning.

" Conditions of the Competition.

" 1. The candidate shall not be more than thirty years

of age.
" 2. Shall have been employed at a concert or theatre

in a town of importance from the musical point

of view.
" 3. Shall, when necessary, be able to play the trumpet

in fa.
" 4. Shall show his birth certificate."

M. Sainte-Marie, who is now the chief organiser and
archivist of the orchestras and choruses, assured me that
by means of such competitions they were really collecting
together a truly marvellous oix'hestra. M. Camille Blanc,
whom he characterised as a great genius, had insisted

428 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

that it was necessary to have the very best in the world.
To attain this end the first step was to efface all frontier
lines. Perfection could only be international. The present
improved system of recruiting was instituted in 1909, and
is unique. It gathers the best from every nation, and the
most careful record is kept, following every performer
step by step in his career. Nor is this a matter of difficulty.
The reputation of the Monte Carlo orchestra stands so
high that any musician fortunate enough to be engaged
by the casino could always easily obtain employment
elsewhere. To have played in the casino orchestra is in
itself a first-class certificate. Thus all are eager to come,
be it only for a season, but it does not often happen that
a musician wants to leave, particularly as in so doing he
would lose his claim to a pension. The rule is that
after a service of 25 years the employee may retire,
and will receive a pension equal to 25 per cent, of his
highest salary. If he works for 30 years his pension will
be equal to 30 per cent., and so on according to the
number of years of service given, on condition that it
does not amount to less than 25 years. Should one of the
employees wish to leave before the end of the 25 years, if he
can show good reason why he should do so he may obtain
an indemnity in recognition of his services, but he has no
positive claim. If, on the other hand, he is dismissed
before the expiration of the 25 years through no fault
of his own, but because the administration ■wishes to
make some alteration, and no longer needs his services,
he is given three months' full salary and the same pension
as if he had served the full 2.5 years. Such are the
regulations, which not only help to secure an excellent
staff of musicians, but also prevent frequent changes of
its members.

In 1911 the chorus consisted of eighty-five singers.
There was also a general chief or chorus-master, assisted by
two leaders or teachers, and a stage or general manager.
The chorus numbered forty-four women and forty men,
and it is curious to note the great variety of nationalities

THE GRAND ORCHESTRA 429

they represented. There were nineteen French women,
twelve Italians, four Swiss, three Russians, two Belgians,
one German, one English, one American, and one Spanish.
The men, however, did not include so many different
nationalities. There were twenty Italians, eighteen French-
men, two Belgians and one native JNIonegasque. Some of
these singers have been distinguished by orders and
decorations. Thus INIadame Ida Saury wears the purple
ribbon as Officer of the Academy. A tenor has received
the Mcdaille dii Travail, a French decoration founded to
reward industry and labour ; and three male choristers
have been honoured by the Russian Government with
the Order of Nicholas II.

The orchestra is much more numerous ; and this is
all the more necessary as of late years it has been split
up into several minor orchestras. Nevertheless it would
be wrong to abandon the term Monte Carlo Orchestra.
It still remains a unity, and a unity of world-wide
renown. But to-day, as there are no less than 156 per-
formers, they do not all perform together. Consequently
there is the grand orchestra that plays in the large
theatre and consists of 110 musicians. Of these eight are
detached to form a " septuor " which occasionally plays
of an afternoon in the atrium. It seems an anomaly to
have eight musicians to constitute a septuor, but, however
wrong this may be, it is nevertheless a fact, and those
who hear the music readily forgive the inaccurate termin-
ology. The orchestra at the Palais des Beaux Arts, where
light operettas are often performed, consists of twenty
performers. The celebrated Concert Louis Ganne, given
in the new part of the casino, has also twenty instru-
mentalists. Finally there is a small string band of six
performers at the Sporting Club. But it is proposed that
all these scattered orchestras should be occasionally
gathered together, and a grand concert given which
would unite the whole 156 instrumentalists.

Of the members of the orchestra it is perhaps the
seven pianists who have the most to do ; not that their

430 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

performances in public are more arduous than those of
any other musician, but their services are constantly
needed for rehearsals of all sorts, including ballet dancing.
They also help in the teaching. Then there are two
musical prompters, one prompts in Italian and the other
in French. This is a difficult and responsible work, and to
get efficient service a good salary has to be paid. Of the
105 principal members of the orchestra, fifty are French,
twenty-seven Italian, tAventy Belgians, seven Mone-
gasques, and one Russian. Among these performers no
fewer than sixty-three are laureates, or have won the first
prizes at the principal conservatoires of music, of France,
Italy or Belgium. As over and above these distinctions
two of them are Officiers de rinstmction Publiqnes, and
thirteen Officiers de F Academie, it may well be said that
the Monte Carlo orchestra has fully earned the respect
and admiration of all musicians. These artists are well
paid, better paid than elsewhere ; on the other hand, they
have no other resources. In a large town they would have
pupils or would be invited to play or sing in private
houses, and thus obtain occasional fees. At Monte Carlo
there are no such opportunities, and therefore there is
nothing to anticipate beyond the salary paid. But the
engagements are not always for the whole year. In the
summer-time the orchestra is reduced to seventy per-
formers, with only one chief and two sub-chiefs. The ballet
dancers, numbering forty in all, are also only engaged for
six months in the year.

It will have been noticed that, in this international
assembly of musicians, the English play but a poor part.
In 1911 there was just one Englishwoman in the chorus:
but there used to be an Englishman in the orchestra and
he was first violin. This was Mr Gatermoole, and he
served for twenty years. He was a typical Englishman in
appearance, but far from British in manners. His ideal
was not that of glorious isolation. He did not stand
haughtily aloof from his colleagues, but on the contrary
he excelled in uniting perfect courtesy with exuberant

AN INTERNATIONAL STAFF 431

wit, and thus always contrived to put everyone in a good
humour. He used to live at Cap d' Ail and ride backwards
and forwards to the casino on a bicycle, often coming to
grief, and having to mend his bicycle on the roadside.
As he was always in full evening dress these accidents
had a grotesque aspect which his fellow-workers hugely
enjoyed. But the solitary Englishman in the Monte
Carlo orchestra took everything in such good part, and
contributed so largely to the merriment and friendly
feeling prevailing among the staff, that he was dearly
loved by all, and to this day his memory is recalled in
regretful and affectionate terms.

The principal leader of the orchestra, M. Leon Jehin,
has acquired a world-wide fame. He was born at Spa
in Belgium, as far back as 1850 ; but still remains
vigorous, full of life and good humour. His musical
education he owes to the Brussels Conservatoire, where he
won the laureateship for harmony and the violin. He first
conducted a band at Antwerp, and in 1883 was the chief
conductor of the Brussels opera house, the Theatre de la
Monnaie. At the same time he was Professor of Hai'mony
at the Brussels Conservatoire. After leading orchestras
in many places, including Covent Garden, London, he
ultimately settled at Monte Carlo, where there is such a
fertile field for his abilities. Here he not only led the
orchestra, but composed much music, notably the
orchestration for Gunsbourg's Le l^ieil Aigle and Ivan le
Terrible, which recently caused so profound a sensation.
Massenet said, in regard to this latter opera, that it is fine,
true and new. To M. Leon Jehin's ne\"er-ceasing vigilance
is due the success of the Monte Carlo orchestra. It is not
the individual capacity of players that makes an orchestra,
it is the power of holding them together ; and at Monte
Carlo they play all things, from tlie severely classical to
the galloping clang and clash of the Racoczy March, liut,
to my mind, the best of it all is that they play the com-
positions of utterly unknown and young composers.
Indifferent as to school, nationality or renown, if a

432 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

musician of genuine merit approaches M. Leon Jehin he
will get a sympathetic hearing and a chance given to
step into fame.

Of course there is acting as well as singing and
dancing on the Monte Carlo stage. The Russian ballet
owes much of its European popularity to the renown it
won at Monte Carlo. AH the best French dramas and
comedies have been rendered at Monte Carlo ; and this,
with the opera, creates the need for an immense amount
of stage scenery and property. How this is provided con-
sequently becomes a matter of great importance, so I
started on a journey of exploration.

Close to the Monte Carlo railway station, just be-
hind the hotel terminus, there is a large and curious
building. It is certainly not a dwelling, nor is it a
theatre, or a meeting-place. There are but few win-
dows, and the doors are not numerous, but large and
peculiar in shape. This is a quiet part of the principality ;
very few people have occasion to pass this way, and
probably not one in a hundred visitors to Monte Carlo
has noticed the odd big building in question. The only
indication it bears is a monogram showing that it is part
of the casino property. Obviously it is a new structure.
It is equally clear that the public has no business there,
for there is no inscription showing which is the entrance
door, or who is within, and what is done there. It is
certainly very mysterious, and its interior does not belie
its outward appearance. At what seemed to be the main
entrance, I could make no impression whatsoever ; but
down the side, and near to what looked like the back
of the building, there was another exceptionally large
door, with a very little door cut into one of the panels.
The little door I contrived to open, and penetrated at
once into a vast expanse where there was hardly any
light, no sound, no movement. In the foreground I per-
ceived a fireman asleep in a chair. Behind him rose the
prow of a gallant though antique sailing ship. The mast,
it is true, was of doubtful strength, and the rigging scarce

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fit to assist in weathering a storm. It was consequently not
so surprising to find that the stern of the ship had been
completely wrenched off. Nevertheless this was meant
to be the identical vessel on which Vasco da Gama sailed
when he fell in love with UAfficaiiie. The good ship,
however, was not storm-tossed. It had lost its way in the
streets of a modern town inhabited by Egyptian gods and
goddesses who seemed to have kicked over in a heap
a miscellaneous collection of Gothic and Louis-Quinze
furniture, and were now contemplating, with placid looks,
dusty, painted, cardboard imitations of fruit contained
in golden urns placed on a deserted banqueting-table.
Luckily the fireman was slow in awakening, so I had
a little time to take in this unusual scene before being
called upon to explain my presence.

M. Visconti, the fireman stated, was at the very top
of the big building. There I should also find light coming
from the roof, a good light for work. Downstairs the
illumination was artificial, it was meant to imitate, in the
daytime, the conditions prevailing at night in a theatre ;
therefore windows were not needed, and hence the strange
appearance of the building when viewed from the outside.
It was consequently right at the top, under a splendid
light from the roof, that I found M. V^isconti hard at
work. Here all was bustle and labour, contrasting sharply
with the sleepy gloom and vast vacant space of the
ground floor. But at times the space below was of the
greatest use. Nowhere else in the world is there so
perfect a studio for painting stage scenery. The studio
measures 76J yards in length, 15^ yai'ds in width. It is
divided into three storeys, the lower or ground floor being
as lofty as the stage of the casino theatre. At Monte
Carlo the largest scene is 40 feet long and 33 feet high.
In all there are 1291 square feet available, and in that
part of the studio where I saw the ship is a stage exactly
the same size. But there is not only the stage, there are
all the lights of both before and behind the curtain. Thus
the scenery can be put up under exactly the same con-

2e

434 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

ditions of illumination. Here also the wonderful luminous
effects that M. Eugene Frey has introduced can be
rehearsed. ^Vith the use of powerful lanterns, M. Frey
produces illusions which could not otherwise be obtained
except with great trouble and cost, and then perhaps not
with sufficient rapidity.

That everything can be done here and fully tested
under realistic conditions is of the greatest importance,
for it is often absolutely impossible to make any trials
or experiments at the theatre itself. During the season
there are rehearsals in the morning, and the play or opera
in the evening, leaving no time to experiment with new
scenery. The difficulty is that the plays or operas have
to be changed every evening. Consequently it is necessary
to have an enormous stock of scenery in readiness and
accessible. For this a system of sorting, of cataloguing,
and of marking has to be devised, so that all the scenery
of a piece can be promptly found and brought out with-
out the slightest omission. But nowhere else are such
conveniences provided for the work. Behind the imitation
stage there is room for the storing of a very large quantity
of scenery, and the task of preparation and organisation
is greatly facilitated by the fact that every department
of the work is done on the premises. At Paris and else-
where a certain amount of the work is given out. Thus
the furniture may be made in one place and the scenery
painted in another. There is consequently much time lost
in running to and fro, and it is much more difficult to
push all the branches forward simultaneously. Here every-
thing is done under the one roof, it is all centralised under
one management, and therefore all that is needed is ready
at the same time. Nor is there any other studio where
scene painters work with such ease. Unlike many other
workshops, this establishment, in spite of its three storeys
and vast dimensions, is heated throughout. There is a
boiler with an engineer in charge ; and in case anything
should go wrong there is also a fireman always on the
premises. The fireman slumbers while the fire smoulders,

J

SCENE PAINTING 435

but there is no knowing when both may suddenly
awake.

M. Visconti is a pupil of M. Lavastre, the great
Parisian scene painter, and most of the artists he employs
are Parisians. In all, forty assistants are engaged here, and
there is enough work to be done to keep them employed
all the year round. A scene is always begun by an
ordinary drawing. A simple picture is made of a forest,
a palace, or whatev^er it may be the author desires to put
on the stage. When this painting is considered satisfactory,
and is accepted, the next process is to divide the picture
into the back and the wings. This is called the mm'quette.
It is very carefully drawn to scale. Then comes the
execution, life-size. The canvas for the scenery is laid
down on the floor under the skylights. But the sunlight
is sometimes too bright, so there is an elaborate arrange-
ment for drawing differently tinted blinds over the panes
of glass to suitably modify the intensity and colour of the
light. There are also rows of electric burners, so that
should the natural light fail, or should it be necessary
to work at night, electricity may make up for this
deficiency. Twelve first-class and ten second-class artists
are employed to do the painting. The canvas used is
daubed over with a material called inijuge, which is
supposed to prevent its catching fire ; but the impression
is that it wears off in about three years, and that no
thoroughly practical means has yet been discovered to
render scenery non-inflammable. More faith is placed in
strict watch and prompt action when there is a fire than
in materials that are supposed to be non-combustible and
are yet sufficiently light to be conveniently handled.

Needless to say the scenery is as realistic as possible.
Thus I chanced to come upon a grass lawn rolled up
in a corner. It was not a mere canvas painted green.
There was an imitation of blades of grass made, I think,
with seaweed, that bent under the foot when trodden
upon. It really looked and felt like grass, but had the
advantage that it would not fade and could be kept

436 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

indefinitely ; and it was so rolled up that one man could
carry quite a large lawn on his shoulders. Perhaps, how-
ever, the cardboard works form one of the most ingenious
and interesting departments. Few persons, not technically
acquainted with these matters, realise the importance and
usefulness of cardboard for stage purposes. This sort of
paper paste can be promptly moulded into any shape and
painted any colour ; while it has the sov'ereign advantage
of being extremely light. Considering how quickly a scene
has to be changed, the first requisite is that every object
on the stage, whether it be the stone equestrian statue of
the commandant in Don Juan, or the broad battlements
of the castle at Elsinore where the ghost of the senior
Hamlet walks and talks at night, must be capable of being
picked up and carried away in a moment. If made of
wood, such objects would still be too heavy ; but card-
board, while fairly strong, is much lighter than the lightest
wood. Therefore there is a machine for making cardboard
paste and thus cardboard furniture, statues and an endless
variety of things are manufactured and coloured on the
spot. For the latter purpose an aei-ograph is employed.
This is a sort of spray producer by which pulverised
colour is pumped upon an object to impart any desired tone
or complexion. The colours applied are aniline ; metallic
colours would be too dear for such rough usage, and
would be considered dangerous, as the assistants might
suffer if they had to breathe dust charged with particles
of mercury, copper or arsenic. A sort of caolin, bkinc
(TEspagne, or blanc de meudon, as it is called, is also
largely used for moulding. Many stage statues and
ornaments are made of this plaster of Paris.

Some twelve women are employed, and they work at
the cardboard figures, make artificial flowers or garlands,
and various kinds of decoration. Others sew the canvas
for the scenery. There is a carpenter, an upholsterer and
cabinet-makers. Finally five unskilled labourers are
employed to mix the paste for the cardboard, or to mix
the colours and carry things about. It is indeed wonderful

EVERYTHING ON THE SPOT 437

to see how things are lifted and removed. At the time
of my visit there was a considerable amount of Egyptian
scenery in course of preparation ; two men could lift a
giant Rameses, and Cleopatra's Needle was easily balanced
on one man's shoulder. It would be the same were it
necessary to put a hundred-ton gun on the stage, and this
is a contingency likely to arise during the course of some
as yet unwritten " Dreadnought " drama.

In the summer, M. Visconti indulges in a brief
absence. He dashes off to Paris to see old colleagues and
get new ideas. Then he has to call on the authors of
plays to be put on the boards for the first time. Together
they have to decide on suitable scenic effects, and this is
no easy matter. It has become more difficult of late, for
it is determined that no trouble or expense shall be spared
to make the scenery of the Monte Carlo theatre the most
perfect that art and science can produce.

Seeing all this recalls to mind the teaching of one of
our greatest authorities on such subjects, Mr Gordon
Craig. For instance in The English Review of October
1911 he says: "The scene painters in London are un-
doubtedly most admirable scene painters ; and the
costumiers are first class. But what is the use of considering
all these things sejxiratehi or of separate people supplying
them to the theatre when they have to be judged as a
whole, when united ? You may paint the most perfect
scene in the world, and you may bring in the most perfect
lighting apparatus in the theatre, but unless the two
things, together with the actor and the actor's voice, have
been considered as a unit, the most dire results must
always be produced."

It would seem as if these lines had been written ex-
pressly to guide the constructors of the vast scene and
stage property studio and workshop of Monte Carlo.

CHAPTER XV

THE SPORTS

THE more closely life in the principality is studied,
the more clearly the duality of motives becomes
apparent. The cynic, especially if he has been
gambling and has lost, will probably laugh at such a
suggestion. It is considered smart, it shows a knowledge
of the world, to deny that there can be any good and
disinterested motive. Therefore wherever money is
spent, it is to bring in money and not at all for the
purpose of rendering a useful service. Though enormous
sums are devoted to promote sports of all kinds at Monte
Carlo, this is not done to provide amusement, while
encouraging healthy exercise, but to attract strangers, so
that they may risk their money at roulette and ti-ente-et-
qtiarante. There are persons so constituted that it makes
them happy to attribute bad motives to what appears
to be a good action. It is a form of personal vanity. It
is a way of posing. Such people are too clever by far
to be taken in by any pretence of an altruistic nature.
Nevertheless, whether as a consequence of outside pressure,
or of the inward awakening of conscience, the fact does
remain that, throughout the principality, we see this
double motive, the hope of promoting business, but also
the desire to do good. The preceding chapters contain
many details of the vast sums of money expended on the
arts and sciences which cannot possibly produce a money
return. This is also the case in regard to many, though
not to all, of the sports.

Some so-called sports have been encouraged though
they are not only useless but actually degrading. There

438

SPORTS THAT DEGRADE 489

can be but one reason for such a derogation from more
wholesome traditions. It attracts people, but this is not
a sufficient excuse. Already more money is made than
is needed. The stress of business, the fear of failure and
poverty can no longer be adduced as an excuse for some-
what unscrupulous action. Such argument was plausible
when Charles III. first reigned and but few of his people
had ever seen a gold coin. It cannot be invoked to-day.
Why then was the Anglo-French prize fight allowed ?
Why was a purse worth £1500 provided for such an
unworthy object. From Monaco, the home of art and
science, we hear that one of the champions " sent in a left-
hand hook on the jaw." After this " a right hard " came
and a combatant was " sent flat on his back." What then
was the use of engaging Sarah Bernhardt to act, Caruso
and Chaliapine to sing, Clairin to paint, Garnier to build
and so many other leaders in art and refinement, if this is
the language correspondents are to use when they telegraph
to the press the latest news from Monte Carlo. All the
traditions of the place are outraged by this prize fight.
It happened, however, that at the next notable " event "
of this sort, one of the combatants was killed. As the
fight occurred in Paris, the French Government interfered,
and fights of this kind are not likely to take place again,
either in France or in Monaco.

There is another so-called sport which is not destined
to long survive the advance of civilisation and humane
sentiments. During the month of June 1912, at Vincennes,
Captain Baledent, commander of the 5th Company of
the 46th line, made experiments of cinematographic pro-
jections on a rifle range. Skirmishers seeking shelter as
they crept forward were shown, and soldiers fired at this
advancing force. The marks left by the bullets showed
to what extent they had aimed correctly. Siu-ely with a
contrivance of this sort an excellent substitute for the
pigeon-shooting might be found. At present the peaceful
beauty of the casino terraces is constantly disturbed by
the report of firearms. A bridge from the lower terrace

440 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

passes over the railroad cutting. The Une is 62 feet
below the bridge which leads to the extreme point
on the JMonte Carlo promontory, where formerly such
excellent sea-urchins and other delicacies could be found
among the rocks. Now this point is given over to the
pigeon-shooting. There is a large grass-sown hemicycle,
sustained by arches resting on the irregularly shaped rocks
of the seashore. Pigeon-shooting at Monte Carlo dates
back to 1872 and boasts of having attracted the best
shots of Europe and America. A great portion of the
establishment was rebuilt in 1896. The initial expenses,
comprising the construction of the arches on the rocks,
and partially in the sea, amounted to some £12,000.
Since that time, more money has been spent. The pigeon-
shooters are afforded every convenience and shelter.
Before them on the grass lawn there are five little wooden
boxes. At a word of command an attendant pulls a string
and one of the little boxes falls to pieces, thus releasing
the tame pigeon that has been placed inside. Glad to be
liberated from dark and close confinement, but dazed
by the sudden glare of light, the pigeon rises slowly, and
there are " sportsmen," so-called, who have the heart to
shoot at this tame and confiding bird. If it is not killed,
it will fly back to the pigeon-house, which is close at hand,
or go behind the casino to feed from the hands of more
humane persons who throw crumbs to the birds near the
Cafe de Paris. Here sometimes may be seen a pigeon
that has been hit, crippled, horribly maimed, but yet
surviving, and still showing its confidence in mankind by
hopping up close to the cafe tables for bread, instead
of the lead it has received from the " sportsman" on the
other side of the casino.

Perhaps a glowing description should be given here of
the pigeon-shooters and the pigeon-shooting, for ]Monte
Carlo is one of the most celebrated rendezvous in the
world for this sort of pastime. Crowned heads, members of
the aristocracy of most countries and plutocrats of all
shades and colours have attempted to kill the tame pigeons

J5

O

in

KILLING FOR AMUSEMENT 441

that attendants place before them ready to be shot.
Fortunately there are some indications that this cruel
diversion will no longer continue to be fashionable. There
are now so many prizes given, and some of them for such
large sums, that the pigeon-shooting has attracted people
who come merely for the sake of the money they hope to
win. Worse even than this, syndicates have been formed,
especially in Italy. A certain number of persons club
together and practise shooting. The best shot is then
selected and sent to compete at the Monte Carlo pigeon-
shooting matches. His expenses are paid by his syndicate ;
but if he wins he must share the proceeds with his
associates. This of course means the attendance at the
matches of a very different class of persons from the
fashionable crowd it was the intention of the organisers
to attract to JMonte Carlo. But really these poor Italians,
who come in the hope of making money, are more
excusable than the idle rich who shoot pigeons for mere
amusement. Generally speaking, even savage wild animals
only kill while they are hungry ; but the human animal
goes on killing for the fun of the thing. The poor Italian,
however, does kill because he is hungry, for he is trying
to earn a living by shooting pigeons. He would just as
soon shoot at a clay pipe, if there were as big a prize to
be obtained when he hit it ; he does not necessarily take
pleasure in killing, he is only anxious to increase his
insufficient income.

It is to be hoped that the time is not far distant when
the pretty tame pigeons of Monte Carlo will be allowed
to enjoy as peaceful a life as the pigeons that add so much
to the charm and animation of the Piazza San Marco at
\'enice. All true sportsmen should protest against the
very unsportsmanlike butchery that so constantly mars
the beautiful outlook from the terraces of the casino. In
any case, close at hand, just on the opposite side of the
bay that forms the ancient port of Hercules, is the old
palace of the Grimaldis, and there lives a real sportsman
who in more than one perilous adventure has proved his

442 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

mettle, and he does not fail to express his contempt. In
" La Carriere d'un Navigateur," Prince Albert devotes a
chapter to hunting and shooting, and he speaks of the
decadent sportsman evolved by modern customs and tame
existence which society governs '* from the height of its
boredom " :

" With their suits of elegant cut, their thin and highly
polished boots, their hair dressed with sheep-like sub-
mission to the caprices of fashion, their fancy gloves to
protect their feminine hands against the cold, or against
vulgar contacts or the colouring due to exposure, with
their virgin guns that bear neither scratch nor scar as
witness of ardent struggles, these shooters have a fragile
aspect that indicates their lack of character.

" Their elegancies flourish on a soft, convenient ground
where there is game that is not too cunning and has been
procured purposely to suit such hunters."

It certainly cannot be said that the tame pigeon
placed in a small box, at a measured distance from the
man who shoots, displays any cunning. The prince, of
course, does not openly allude to the pigeon-shooting that
is so extensively practised in his principality. Some of his
very distinguished guests, who have thoughtlessly followed
in the wake of fashion, even to the extent of shooting at
tame pigeons, might be offended. But the prince clearly
indicates what he considers real sport, and does not
hesitate to express his scorn for the safe and easy shooting
that has become fashionable. Sport, he tells us, " is in
harmony with the laws of natui'e, which sanction the
killing of beasts for self-defence or for food ; but to kill
without excuse, to kill without measure and without pity,
to kill while pampered with luxury, has always been a
sign of decadence."

On the other hand, many of the sports encouraged in
the principality are obviously of direct use to the world at
large. True to their Phoenician origin, everything that is

USEFUL SPORTS 443

connected with locomotion, be it on land or sea, but more
especially if it is on the sea, finds favour at Monaco. At
nearly all the Riviera resorts there is every year a battle
of flowers ; but at Monaco there is not only a battle on
land, there is also a battle on the sea. Instead of dressing
up carriages with flowers, boats are thus gaily arrayed.
Instead of carriages driving past, boats are rowed near
enough for their occupants to bombard each other with
flowers. The shower of flowei-s constitutes a peaceful and
poetical way of fighting that is not devoid of charm. No
sort of injury is inflicted unless some dirt accidentally gets
into the eye. The great demand for flowers encourages
floriculture, and their utilisation to ornament carriages or
boats develops appreciation for the decorative arts.

The open sea, the smooth harbour, naturally encourage
all forms of aquatic sports. There are numerous regattas,
and the moment a new means of locomotion is discovered
it meets with encouragement at Monaco. Thus the sports
of Monaco have really helped the cause of progress. A
large open space that faces the harbour in the Condamine
is kept free for all such purposes. Here an annual exhibition
of motor boats is held, followed by numerous contests
between these crafts. Prizes to the extent of £4000 are
given, and this must stimulate the invention and better
management of new methods of navigation, that will
prove of great service. On this same spot there was
formerly a large shelter built for dirigible balloons, and
here it was that Santos Dumont made one of his memor-
able flights.

To-day, of course, it is the aeroplane that holds the
first place, and at once its development was encouraged at
Monaco. As a result, it is now the boast of the principality
that the first flight ever taken over the Mediterranean was
from Monaco. The start was made from the quay on the
commercial side of the port. A commemorative tablet will
be found on the spot, and it bears the following in-
scription : —

"On the 3rd of March 1910 the aviator H. Rougier

444 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

started from this spot on a Voisin biplane to accomplish
the first flight on the Mediterranean and to pass above a
mountain, for the first time, by flying over the THe de
Chien (600). The Communal Council decides and ap-
proves the erection of this commemorative inscription,
the Commandant Loth being Mayor. January 1911."

The snapshot photograph of this memorable flight is
here reproduced, and besides the biplane we see the prince's
yacht, Princcsse Alice, at anchor. Behind is the Condamine
district, and in the long, low building against the water the
first pretence of a bathing station was established. In the
rear is the Tvtc de Chien, 600 metres high, so called
because it is like the head of a dog in a crouching attitude.
The aviator, after going over the sea as far as Cap Martin
and back, flew above this mountain.

For other forms of locomotion we have bicycle races,
an automobile rally and, what is very much needed, a
competition for elegance in the construction, painting and
decoration of automobiles. It is bad enough that motors
should render the road untenable by reason of the people
they kill and maim, the abominable noise and smell they
maice, the blinding dust they raise, but their ugliness still
further increases the sorrow with which we part from the
beautiful and lovable horses they replace. Prizes should
also be given for more harmonious hooters and less
odoriferous petrol. But the principality was to the forefront
in reducing the speed at which motors are allowed to travel
and in tarring the roads, so that they should make less dust.
Now a still more radical measure has been taken to liberate
the pedestrian from the motor car nuisance, and prevent
a few rich people from prohibiting the most wholesome
of all exercises. A society has been formed to promote the
" path by the sea." From Nice to Menton all local
authorities will exercise their persuasive powers on the
landlords whose property skirts the sea, so as to induce
them to sell enough land for a narrow path to be made,
which will allow the pedestrian to walk, undisturbed by
any vehicle whatsoever, from Nice to Menton. Portions of

J

THE PATH BY THE SEA 445

this path are already constructed, and I had the pleasure
to assist at the inauguration, in 1911, of the section that
starts from Monte Carlo station and goes beyond the
frontier to the Pointe de la V^ieille. Here there is an
interruption and the pedestrian must follow the main
road, but he will find the path again as he nears Cap
Martin. If people come to the Riviera it is because they
appreciate the scenery, the climate, the flowers and the
vegetation possible only on account of the climate. But
petrol does not enhance the perfume of the flowers. The
dust of the motor veils the beauty of their colours, while it
destroys the purity of the atmosphere. So that the charm
and the principal attractions of the country shall no
longer be sacrificed to the love of speed, the path by the
sea is in the course of construction. All who can appre-
ciate the joy of contemplation, where nature is so kind,
and sky and sea combine to produce endless variety of
colour and form, will not be disturbed as they stroll
along this little path. Dr Guglielminetti is the secretary
of the organisation that is thus endeavouring to save us
from the motor car, and lovers of nature will wish him
all success.

Among other forms of exercise encouraged here,
there is a golf club high up in the mountains, but it can
be reached by motor omnibus. Close at hand, in the
Condamine, and at the Jardins de la Festa, lawn-tennis
is played, and international matches held. For those who
work and have not time to go about playing like school-
boys, gymnastics or fencing are much better than games
which only exercise some of the muscles. With fencing
we can exercise the largest variety of muscles and make
the maximum effort in the minimum time. The principal
objection, especially in the north of Europe, is that both
gymnastics and fencing are generally practised indoors.
Not so in Monaco, where opportunities for such exercise
are supplied out of doors. Local and international fencing
matches often take place, and it is a great pity that more
Englishmen do not learn to fence, and thus acquire not

446 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

only quickness of eye and hand, but gracefulness of
deportment and agility.

At Monte Carlo there are all manner of competitions,
some of a rather eccentric character. For instance, there
is a hat competition for ladies, and also a parasol contest.
It is not a fight, but an exhibition, and the possessor of
the most graceful parasol obtains a prize. If it were held in
London it would have to be an umbrella contest ; but,
being at Monte Carlo, and in the winter, it advertises the
fact that this is the land of sunshine. Then there are
international competitions of dogs ; all sorts of dogs : pet
dogs, terrier dogs, bull dogs and, still more interesting,
police dogs. The latter must show that they have been
trained to refuse food offered by strangers, to pursue
thieves and know when to bite and when to stop biting.
Finally, the state reception of the Queens of Beauty must
not be forgotten, for this is a well-merited homage paid
to useful labour. The Queens of Beauty are elected at Nice,
as in Paris, from among the laundry women, the market
women and other hard-working women. The object is to
show that it is possible to be a useful member of society
without losing all claim to beauty and even to elegance.
The women toiling in these different trades are proud to
think that they still preserve in their midst some of the
charms for which their sex is distinguished. So for one
day in the year the prettiest in each trade is elected Queen
and the authorities called upon to render her homage.
The Queen and her Court must be received at the town
hall and respectfully kissed by the mayor. For the whole
day receptions and entertainments foUowin rapid succession,
and for once in her life the laundry girl or market stall-
keeper tastes the sweets of high office and public popu-
larity. The photograph reproduced here gives the Queens
of Beauty for the year 1911. They are sitting onthe platform
within the Monte Carlo Palace of Fine Arts, where they
were received, with all honour, by the authorities of the
principality and the directors of the casino.

Such are some of the sports and diversions organised

THE QUEENS OF BEAUTY 447

each year for the benefit of visitors. The list given is not
complete, for it is safe to say that barely a week passes
during the season without some event or another taking
place. The main purpose doubtless is to ensure that
visitors shall enjoy themselves Avhile in the principality ;
but their health is benefited by the motive provided for
outdoor exercise, while encouragement is given to many
inventions that render practical service as well as provide
amusement.

CHAPTER XVI

THE SUPERSTITIONS OF GAMBLERS

IT is a well-recognised fact that gamblers are as a class
particularly superstitious. The wonder is that very
shrewd, sober-minded people, and even those who
have received a scientific training, are not exempt from this
weakness. On the contrary, should they become habitual
roulette-players they will develop superstitious tendencies
and gradually sink to the level of frivolous, shallow-
minded old dames who glory in hanging seven grotesque
charms to their watch-chain. The higher intellects are
preserved by their sense of pride from doing anything that
is too obviously absurd, but they are nevertheless terribly
troubled by superstitious apprehensions. They also have
their lucky days, quite like common mortals, and their
lucky numbers. They object to be spoken to or looked at
when playing, and not a few would absolutely refuse to
stake any money on the suicides' table. In almost every
book or paper that has been written about Monte Carlo,
Homburg, Wiesbaden and similar places, the superstitions
of gamblers are described, sometimes at great length.
Yet with all this exuberance of detail, repetition and
gossip no one seems to have paused to inquire why
gamblers are more superstitious than other members of
the community ; and, when gambling, more superstitious
than when engaged on any other occupation.

The explanation of this phenomenon is nevertheless
very simple and clear. The less we know, the more
superstitious do we become. The world's history shows
that this is a dominant chai'acteristic of human nature.
It is notorious that the most superstitious people are the

448

I

1^

5

(75

CAUSE OF SUPERSTITION 449

seafaring and agricultural populations. Both depend for
their daily work and daily bread on the condition of the
weather, and meteorology of all the sciences is that which
has made the least progress. But with regard to naviga-
tion, since the introduction of steamships and with the
ever-increasing power of the machinery they contain we
hear less and less of sailors' superstitions. Such ships defy
the weather, and no one has accused firemen, stokers and
engine-room men of being especially superstitious. It is
the mariner of the olden days, who had to trim his sail to
every wind, and never knew from what quarter the wind
would blow, who naturally became extremely supersti-
tious. He could no more tell whether there would be a long
continuance of fine weather than the player at roulette
can tell when to expect a long series on red. The same may
be said about the tiller of the soil, and both depended on
the weather for their existence. The more violent the
phenomenon, if we are ignorant of its cause and the laws
by which it is governed, the deeper the superstitions it
engenders. A series of twenty on a simple or even chance is
just as extraordinary, rare and unexpected a phenomenon
as an earthquake would be, and we are equally at a loss
to explain or anticipate its occurrence. Speaking of
earthquakes and their relation to superstitions. Buckle,
in his " History of Civilisation," says :

" Further illustration of this may be found even in
Europe, where such phenomena are comparatively speak-
ing extremely rare. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
are more frequent and more destructive in Italy, and in
the Spanish and Portuguese peninsula, than in any other
of the great countries ; and it is precisely there that
superstition is most rife, and the superstitious classes
most powerful. Those were the countries where the clergy
first established their authority, where the worst corrup-
tions of Christianity took place, and where superstition has
during the longest period retained the firmest hold."

To-day at Monte Carlo, nothing, I should imagine,

2f

450 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

is more likely to shock the reverently disposed Christian
than the presence on the gambling-tables of images,
blessed and consecrated as sacred to his faith. Of the loud
prayers uttered in the churches, of the silent prayers
whispered in the casino, the former are often doubtful
in quality, Avhile the latter, born of distress, are likely to
be more fervent. Nor is this quite as reprehensible and
irreverent as it may seem. Many a story is told of disaster,
sickness, unemployment, bad trade, unsuccessful specu-
lations, the crumbling of a fortune, the menace of family
ruin. Then, as a last chance, a few hundred or a few
thousand francs are gathered together in the hope that
luck, which has proved so hostile in the ordinary business
of life, may show itself more kind in this last desperate
venture. Such an attempt is generally made by a woman ;
a pious and devoted woman, strongly attached to her
family, who has never gambled in her life and has some-
thing much better to do with her time and money than
to waste them over games of hazard. She comes, however,
to Monte Carlo in the extremity of her distress. Is she
to pray to the pagan goddess of Fortune, or shall she bring
with her the little silver image of the Virgin Mary, to
which she has appealed with perfect faith during every
trial and stress of her life ? Is this friend and companion
in all her doubts and troubles to be spurned and pushed
aside now that the greatest trial is at hand and the last
forlorn hope must be attempted ? Obviously this is the
moment of all others when the poor distraught woman
will cling to that image, pathetic in its smallness and
insignificance, but rendered strong and even beautiful
by reason of the intensity of human love, human longing
and agony, with which it is clothed.

The sense of decorum, of ridicule, of inappropriateness,
of shame, does not exist. With the Virgin's effigy firmly
held in one hand, and a few coins or notes trembling in the
other, this woman, strong in her simple superstition,
approaches the tables. There is no desire to gamble, there
is only the love that longs to save her family from distress.

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H

SACRILEGE 451

This is a holy feehng, and her hps move in correspondence
with the sacred appeal for help and mercy that springs
from her soul, as she throws her money on the table.
This is a form of superstition which we may lament as
divorced from reason, but which is too pathetic to be a
subject of ridicule. Nor should the iconoclastic Christian
be too utterly shocked, for there are other points of view
than those engendered by his puritanic training.

It was quite a different matter, however, when on one
occasion I was disturbed at my hotel by the loud and
angry voices of two elderly ladies. One of these fellow-
residents had reckoned that her fortune was assured
because, after prolonged intrigues and the exercise of the
greatest ingenuity, she had succeeded in approaching one
of the attendants on the Pope at Rome. Her object was to
conceal a five-franc piece among some rosaries which the
Pope was going to bless. Having at last, after any amount
of trouble, surreptitiously succeeded in securing the papal
blessing for her five francs, she took the first train to
Monte Carlo. Unfortunately I was never able to obtain a
clear account of the way in which she utilised the sacred
coin at the roulette-table. It is hardly likely that the coin
was actually staked. Perhaps it was thought sufficient to
mix it with the other money which was put on the table.
However this might be, the result was satisfactory and
the amount won daily accumulated.

The terrible dispute in which this golden adventure
terminated arose out of excessive kindness. If the lady
with the coin the Pope had blessed was fortunate, her
bosom friend was equally unfortunate. Instead of rejoic-
ing at her companion's good fortune the friend weari-
somely bewailed her own ill-luck in staking just too soon
or too late. At last, tired out by this oft-repeated tale of
woe, the lady with the blessed coin lent it to her friend.
That surely would end all the trouble. Sustained by papal
blessings, even though they had been unintentionally
bestowed, there could be no doubt that luck would turn.
It did turn, but not as anticipated. The friend's bad luck

452 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

steadily continued, it was the good luck accompanying
the sacred five-franc piece that turned. Bad as this might
be, worse followed. Somehow in the confusion and
excitement of the moment, the friend proved unworthy
of the great trust which had been reposed in her ; she
actually allowed a sacrilegious croupier to rake up the coin
blessed by the Pope. Paralysed by such a desecration,
before a protest could be uttered she saw the sacred five-
franc piece inextricably mixed with the countless mass of
common coins. A moment later it began to share the fate
of all other money and was tossed irreverently from hand
to hand, resting briefly in many pockets and in vulgar
promiscuity to ordinary filthy dross. What would become
of the papal blessing now ? Would not such an affront
turn it into a curse ? How could the owner or the
borrower of the sacred five-franc piece ever return to the
casino ? Wliat luck could they possibly expect after
thus desecrating so holy an object ?

Long did the passages of the hotel re-echo with re-
criminations of this description, and they did not cease
even though one by one various doors opened and people
stepped out to ascertain what was the matter. There is
no knowing how long I might have continued an amused
spectator, but that another elderly lady touched me on
the arm. Opening a very deep shabby leather purse the
lady invited me to look inside, saying, " I have something
better than that. I did not have to go to Rome for it and
bribe a lot of people. I got it from a railway porter and it
only cost me five francs, but it has been more lucky than
the five-franc piece these noisy ladies have lost." For
some time I looked down into the purse without perceiv-
ing anything. There was not even any money, but at
last I saw a small piece of something that looked like a
fragment of liver about the size of a threepenny bit.
" What is it ? " I whispered, for this was too mysterious
a matter to admit of being discussed in louder tones.
" I went to the Monaco railway station," the lady replied.
" You know that there is also a goods station there and

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Till': I )i«. Snow

A BAT'S HEART 453

not many people about, so I persuaded a railway porter
to catch and kill one of the numerous bats that fly out at
dark. This is the bat's heart. The porter was quite satisfied
when I gave him five francs for it. The silly man, if he had
only known, I would gladly have given him twenty francs.
You see this old purse. It is very large, so I can put a lot
of five-franc pieces on the top of the bat's heart. If I do
occasionally lose a piece I am not in the least alarmed,
because I know that somehow that piece must have
failed to touch the bat's heart, for it is a very small heart
and is wearing away like Balzac's Peau de Chagrin. Then
I am a little greedy and hasty, and do not take sufficient
care. But that does not matter, it makes the game more
interesting to lose a little now and then."

Seeing that it was necessary for the money to rub against
the bat's heart, I inquired why smaller coins, gold coins,
were not used, since it was only the money that had been
in the purse and in touch for some time with the bat's
heart which acquired magic virtue. My question, however,
was greeted with a look of such withering scorn that I
regretted having spoken and apologetically inquired
what I could have said that was so obviously inappro-
priate. " It is my mistake," the lady now answered, with
cold politeness and measuring her words. " I thoughts — but
I fear I am not good at thought-reading — however, the
impression did come over me that you were a brother,
a fellow-initiate. Otherwise, do you think I would ever
have shown you my purse ? But there, great as is the
world's ignorance, I did think you knew the bat was a
night animal."

Of course I energetically protested that of this much,
at least, I was not ignorant ; but was fully aware that
bats only flew about after dusk. " Then," resumed the
mysterious lady, " the bat being a creature of the night,
corresponds with the feminine in nature, with our Holy
Mother, who always wears the blue star-spangled cloak
of night, and rests her foot on the silvery moon. Of course
her metal is silver, so how can you expect a bat to in-

454 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

fluence gold ? Is not gold the exact opposite ? It is the
metal of the sun, of the male in nature, of fire, of light,
of the day as opposed to the night. If I played with gold
I should hide my bat's heart in a dark place, keep the gold
well away from it, use another purse and play on the day
consecrated to the sun — on Sunday, of course ! But as I
was born under a favourable aspect of the moon, I must
be content with her metal, silver, and of course my best
day for winning is her day, the moon's day, as you say in
English, the jour de la lune, or lundi, as we say in French."
Thereupon the old lady made me a dignified curtsy, and
with a somewhat sardonic laugh strolled away. This was
not Isis unveiled, but it seemed to me as if I had been
privileged to catch a glimpse through a minute rent in
the veil.

It would be an error to conclude from the above
incidents that only persons brought up in Roman Catholic
countries have so little reverence and sense of what is
appropriate as to bring to the gaming-tables something
derived from their Church. A few steps beyond the
frontier line of the principality there is an English
chapel where a duly ordained clergyman of the Church of
England officiates every Sunday to a Monte Carlo con-
gregation. A well-known story, familiar to most fre-
quenters, is told of an English visitor who after attending
Church service went as usual to the casino. On approach-
ing the tables, however, he felt a singular hesitation.
The even chances, the columns, the numbers, the dozens
seemed to have lost their charm. There was not even a
favourite transversale that could tempt him. But all of a
sudden a luminous idea came to his mind. He remembered
that the clergyman had called upon the congregation to
sing the hymn numbered 36 in the hymn-book, and there
was no resisting such an inspiration. Without a moment's
hesitation he threw a louis on No. 36. Round went the
wheel and a minute later the croupier, having announced
trente-six, rouge, pair, passe, handed over the thirty-five
louis won. This was too good a stroke of luck to be passed

THE HYMN-BOOK STORY 455

over in silence. The fortunate player told his friends, and
they told their friends. Thus it came about that on the
following Sunday there was an extraordinary increase in
the congregation attending the English church. Greatly
wondering and nothing doubting, the clergyman in due
time gave out hymn No. 27, and this met with ready
response from the congregation. No sooner was the service
over than quite an exceptional number of the faithful
strolled from the church to the casino. Entering the gaming-
rooms, they showed equal unanimity in staking on No.
27. It so happened, however, that this number was not
to the fore at this particular moment. Nevertheless, for
there is no limit to the hopefulness of gamblers, there was
again an exceptionally large attendance at the church on
the ensuing Sunday. But by this time the clergyman
had begun to suspect the origin of the sudden popularity
his church had acquired, so he gave out hymn 47 ! The
blank, disappointed look of many among the congrega-
tion confirmed his suspicions, and henceforth he selected
hymns above No. 36. It was not long before his congre-
gation dwindled back to its small and normal proportions.

Nevertheless if these gamblers who associated the
chants of their Church with the chances of roulette had
known the lady with the bat's heart, she would soon have
shown them how to bet on No. 47 or any other number,
whatever its length, even if it exceeded 47 millions.
It does not need a very terrible, dangerous, mysterious
initiation to know what is sometimes called theosophic
reduction, by which any and every figure can be brought
down to the first nine numbers. Thus, in this case, it was
only necessary to count that 4 + 7 = 11 and then to play
on eleven. But by going a step farther we get 1 + 1=2 ;
and, as two is female, it would be preferable to stake
silver coins. After that, if the player had not won, even
the lady with the bat's heart would have been forced to
admit it was not from want of knowledge.

A great deal might be said about numbers and many
superstitions traced back to Pythagorean theories, to

456 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

the Tarot or the twenty-two principal letters of the
Hebrew alphabet. But the vast majority of gamblers are
shallow-minded pleasure-seekers, and are not prone to
reason over what they do ; otherwise they would not
play so often. If a person bets on a particular number it is
more likely to be the date of his birthday or the number
of his cloakroom ticket than a number that has an
esoteric meaning which corresponds with some particular
and to him favourable influence. In this respect I had a
curious experience. Some years ago, a scare was raised
that American coals were exported to Mediterranean
ports, and the rate of wages paid to British miners might
be reduced in consequence. Thereupon two Labour
members of the House of Commons, who had been elected
to represent mining districts, asked me to accompany
them to the Mediterranean so as to verify this statement.
Needless to say, the talk about American exports of coal
was but a stratagem based on the supposed ignorance of
the working miners. This unscrupulous manoeuvre was,
however, very effectively defeated by the investigation we
made on the spot. Having visited the coal depots at
Marseilles, Toulon, Nice, without finding any American
coals, it was necessary to travel through Monaco on the
way to Genoa. Such an opportunity was not to be lost.
Obviously one or two days' holiday must be taken to visit
this beauty spot. But as the force of circumstances had
imposed on me the responsible position of guide, philos-
opher and friend, I felt bound to deliver an urgent and
solemn homily on the folly and fatal consequences of
gambling.

Duly impressed by my earnest exhortation and
evident experience, my friends agreed that we should each
risk ten francs — a sum we could afford to lose without a
tinge of regret. This would suffice for playing six times,
even if we lost each time, and we would share alike in
profit or loss. At this juncture I noticed that the
number of the railway carriage in which we were approach-
ing Monte Carlo was 2031. Pointing this out, I explained

SELECTING A NUMBER 457

that according to local traditions and superstitions we
should stake on les quatres premiers — i.e. the zero and the
numbers 1, 2, 3. But we should have only one chance of
winning out of nine, so it would be a great risk. My
companions, however, were delighted. What did the risk
matter, since I had so carefully taught them to expect
to lose and to risk only what they could without the
slightest reluctance afford to lose ? After going round
the rooms and watching the play at sevei'al tables, I
called upon my companions to select the table at which
we were to try our fortunes. This done, my consternation
may well be imagined when, on approaching the table,
I found the marble resting peacefully on No. 2 as the
wheel turned lazily round while people laid out fresh
stakes. We had arrived just too late ; the four first had
already won ! What were we to do ? It was most unlikely
so slender a chance would turn up twice running. My
companions were inexorable. They were just as interested
in Monte Carlo superstitions as in roulette ; the stake on
the number of our railway carriage must be made, and
I made it. A still greater surprise was in store, for the
quatres premiers turned up a second time and therefore
we won eight pieces. W^e had by one single coup more than
doubled our capital. Such extraordinary luck, my com-
panions readily recognised, was not likely to happen again.
Though we had only risked one out of our six five-franc
pieces, we all agreed to rest satisfied with our very good
fortune. Triumphantly we marched out and proceeded to
exercise our arithmetical faculties in the attempt to
divide the eight big silver pieces we had won into three
equal parts.

Superstitions with regard to numbers are very wide-
spread, and this not merely among ignorant people.
In London I am acquainted with a West-End book-
dealer, a thoughtful, well-read man, who is also a great
explorer. For some reason he is unable to explain he has
always associated his existence and any strong feeling he
may experience with the number 8. Instead of swear-

458 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

ing when agitated he will mutter to himself, 8, 18, 80, 88,
800 and so on till he has recovered his equanimity. Of
course on hearing this I reminded him that the eighth Tarot
card meant justice, and he was greatly surprised, for not
only is justice his highest ideal but a paper with which
he was much concerned is called Justice. He then related
that in his exploring expeditions he had visited a London
gambling hell where they were playing roulette. Seeing
the numbers, he at once placed a coin on No. 8, and No. 8
won. He was paid thirty-five times the amount he had
risked and this was the first time and the last time he had
ever played at roulette.

Perhaps no superstition is so widespread as the dread
of No. 13, and yet how few people know why. How few
people know anything about that earlier form of scripture,
those philosophical tablets that became the twenty-one
numbered Tarot cards and the one unnumbered card.
It is in them, and they are probably three or four thou-
sand years old, that the fear of thirteen originated. This
is obviously due to the fact that the thirteenth card is the
death card, though not necessarily a bad card. Death is
impossible without its natural counterpart, birth. It is the
card of birth or rebirth as well as of death ; and thus it
is essentially a revolutionary card. The death of the old,
the birth of the new ; how else shall we rid ourselves of
the many time-worn abuses ? Strange to say, if we look
about the wealthy quarters of Paris, where the inhabit-
ants have much to preserve and do not welcome the
idea of death, the number 13 is not often seen. In the
Place Vendome, where are situated the Hotel Bristol, fre-
quented by kings, and the Hotel Ritz, there is no No. 13.
Nor is there a No. 13 in the rue le Peletier, the Avenue
Matignon, the Avenue de Villiers, the rue Poussin, the
Faubourg St Honore, the Faubourg Montmartre, the rue
Montaigne, the rue Blanche, the rue Balzac, the rue
Chateaubriand, the rue Boissy d'Anglas, the Avenue
Jules Janin, the rue Dosne, the rue de la Pompe, the rue
Nicolo, the rue Boissonnade, the rue d'Astorg, the rue

FATEFUL THIRTEEN 459

Faraday and many others. On the other hand, at Belle-
ville, at La Villette, and different working men's and
revolutionary quarters of Paris, no one objects to No. 13,
and it may be found in every street.

Thirteen was never intended to be an unlucky number.
All that has life must die, whether it be an individual, a
dynasty, or an institution, and when it disappears to
make room for something that is better the event may be
considered fortunate rather than unfortunate. Neverthe-
less, this does not do away with the fact that there are
some persons who will not occupy the thirteenth seat
from the croupier, and who refuse to play at all on the
13th of the month. And all these things are likely to be
more unlucky if the player is on the left side of the
croupier. But there are many other considerations. Thus
a lady who had been warned by a fortune-teller that
she would be reduced to " black despair " {miscre noire)
would play on red alone, and this only when a fair-haired
croupier was manipulating the wheel. Others will not
play unless they have just taken the precaution to put
out their tongue at their left-hand neighbour. It is as well
to be acquainted with such practices so as not to take
offence when no offence is meant. The jettatore is also used
to ward off the spirits that bring bad luck, and is not
intended as a hostile act aimed at some fellow-player.

The great puzzle is to know what a player must do if
he perceives a priest. This infallibly betokens bad luck,
unless some very energetic means is adopted to counter-
act such an unfortunate influence. The horn, the pagan
symbol of male virility, to this day is believed to be the
best antidote against unmarried priests ; and women on
meeting a priest will curl the first finger of each hand on
the sides of their forehead, thus pretending to have horns.
But if the priest brings bad luck, nothing can excel the
good luck that as invariably accompanies the hump-
back. On this subject an amusing story is told about
the late M. Alfred Naquet, the learned deputy who
succeeded in persuading the French Parliament to enact

460 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

a law authorising divorce. While the controversy this
occasioned was at its height, M. Naquet came to Monte
Carlo. To his surprise, he was received with marked
attention and even familiarity. Some, ladies in particular,
found various pretexts for touching or caressing him, and
especially for stroking him on the back. M. Naquet was
delighted. He had been told that women were strongly
opposed to his Divorce Bill, but here at Monte Carlo
women of all sorts greeted him with affectionate mani-
festations of approval. Poor M. Naquet ! He forgot that he
was a humpback, and he did not know that to stroke the
hump of a humpback is a sure way of winning at roulette.
The belief that humpbacks bring good luck to gamblers
has prevailed in many parts of the world and for many
centuries, but there is a superstition which can only
apply to Monte Carlo. Travelling from Nice to Monte Carlo,
and passing through the big tunnel between Eze and La
Turbie, there is to be seen a large hole on the right about
ten feet wide, through which a glimpse of the sea can be
obtained. This is called the " troii de la veine.'' Here dwell
the pretty fairies who put us in the lucky vein. It is of no
use to look for this hole, but should the traveller chance to
see it when he is not on the look-out, then he may stake
his money without fear ; he is sure to win. With regard to
the railway journey from Nice to Monte Carlo, it may be
mentioned that a smaller number of tickets are issued on
the Friday. This proves the prevalence of the superstition
that Friday is an unlucky day. Vendredi is the day of the
Latin Venus ; Friday the day of Freya, the Scandinavian
Venus. Of all the days of the week, it is more especially
the woman's day, and woman, as the guardian of the
home, is most concerned in resisting the devastation
wrought by gambling. Then it is well known that those
who lose at play win at love-making ; so, as Friday is the
woman's day, it follows that at least the men who play
should lose. On the other hand, iron is the metal of Mars,
the god of war and the lover of Venus. Accidentally to
touch iron before playing is a sign of good luck. It is also

ECCENTRIC CHARMS 461

very lucky indeed inadvertently to step on dirt. Then if
a coin, clumsily thrown on the table, bounds into the
cylinder, the number into which it falls is sure to be
heavily backed by those who have seen the accident.
How could such mishaps more clearly indicate the winner?
Every conceivable sort of charm or talisman is
brought to the tables. Little pigs in silver, gold or bog-
wood are thought very lucky. In the olden days, when
there were fewer people and more latitude allowed to
players, one lady preferred real pig, and this she brought
with her in the form of a large piece of ham. At regular
intervals in her play she cut off a formidable mouthful,
being convinced that so long as she was eating pig she
had a better chance of winning. Another lady with a more
refined palate preferred pastry, but objections were
raised because it made the table sticky. This was in no
wise surprising. The waiters brought the cakes on a tray
and were careful to select dirty trays with plenty of burnt
sugar or other sticky material underneath. Thus if the
tray could be put down near a pile of gold, perhaps one
or two stray coins might stick to the sugar under the tray.
Nothing similar could happen to-day. The rooms and the
tables are far too crowded for trays to be handed about.
But if refreshments are not carried round by waiters,
superstitious gamblers often bring in all manner of
strange and uncanny things. One visitor had great faith
in a small living tortoise which he placed in his pocket.
This is rather awkward for the neighbours, for such little
animals are apt to make their escape and crawl from one
person to another. A tale is told of a gentleman who had
a spider with him. He kept it in a box painted inside half
red and half black. He did not watch the game but he
watched the spider, and he always played on the colour
the spider had selected. It is a pity no explanation was
given as to the why and wherefore of the affinity he evi-
dently believed must exist between roulette and spiders.
" Come into my parlour, said the spider to the fly "
seems more appropriate to the bank than to the player.

462 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

Nevertheless, according to the legend, the man with the
spider always won, till one day this sagacious insect
escaped and selected a domicile in some inaccessible part
of the ceiling.

If a neighbour at roulette has a pocket out of shape
because it contains something very hard and heavy, the
presence of a revolver need not be feared ; it is much
more likely to be a horseshoe. This symbol of fertility is
very appropriate for those who anticipate gathering a
large harvest at the gaming-tables. Less cumbrous but
far more sinister is the authentic piece of hangman's rope
or the skin of a venomous snake. Some bring locks of hair,
pieces of coral and even rats' tails. But undoubtedly the
most interesting of all the luck-bearers is the mascotte.
Apart from the game, what a delightful subject of ro-
mance ! Nobody presumably has ever heard of an ugly
mascotte ; yet, however beautiful and fascinating the
mascotte may be, the person who employs her must not
pay her the slightest compliment or engage even in the
mildest flirtation. Nor must he allow anyone else to pay
court to his mascotte. It is dreadfully dull work for her,
and therefore it is not surprising that she should insist
on a large share of the profits. Mascottes, and very beauti-
ful mascottes, abound at Monte Carlo. How far they abide
by the laws of mascotte magic is another matter. Among
many others there used to be a supremely pretty Alsatian
mascotte who always insisted on 25 per cent, of the
profits, and she is credited with having thus obtained close
upon £3000 without risking a penny of her own money.
It is difficult to say how a woman gains the reputation of
being a mascotte, but once acquired it cannot be easily
lost, especially if the mascotte is really very charming.
Should the gentleman lose instead of winning, she can
always recall a moment when he looked at her somewhat
too admiringly or was a little over-attentive. It is not the
mascotte's fault if men will be so silly, so weak as not to
be able to restrain themselves. If they will break the
charm they must not blame the mascotte.

CONCLUSION

ENOUGH perhaps has now been said to convey the
purport of this book. The first object, of course,
was to give useful information, both in regard to the
past and the present of Monaco and Monte Carlo. Much
still remains to be said ; interesting features of life in the
principality have been omitted but many of its less-known
phases are fully described. The second purport is to
make it quite clear that this life bears a double aspect.
The one has become too notorious, the other is still
insufficiently known. But if the austere critic would blame
the first, it may be said, in mitigation, that it has rendered
the other possible. However great the evil consequences
of the gambling at Monte Carlo, this has provided the
means for the succour of the poor, the abolition of
taxation, the encouragement of art, science and sport.
As in England we have never succeeded in preventing
gambling, may we not learn a useful lesson from Monaco ?
Why not canalise this vice and make it pay our taxes ?
The desire to gamble is a force in nature. It should not be
wasted by being allowed to run wild. In France one of the
principal sources of revenue for the maintenance of the
hospitals is the percentage deducted from all bets made
on horse-racing. A gambler is a person who hopes to obtain
money without having the trouble to work for it. He wants
to receive without giving, to consume without producing.
This is a proceeding which confers no benefit to society
and is demoralising in its general effects. If it cannot be
prevented, we can at least compel these useless persons to
become useful by making them contribute to the public
revenue.

On the 4th of July 1912, M. Empereur stated in the

4,63

464 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

French Senate that there were 123 thermal stations or
watering-places in France with casinos where gambling
was sanctioned. Some of these are so insignificant that
only a few hundred francs were made during the course of
the year. In other resorts very large sums were lost by the
public and won by the concessionaires for these games.
In 1910 the total receipts of the 123 casinos amounted
to £1,746,400. The most prosperous casino was that of
Englien, near Paris, with gross receipts of £376,000.
The three casinos of Nice came next. Their receipts were
£320,000 between them. The gambling at Cannes only
brings in £44,000. In 1911 the total gross receipts of the
French casinos derived from gambling amounted to
£1,921,022. Petit Chevaux, and such games, yielded
£598,410, and baccarat £1,322,612. On this gross income
the State takes 15 per cent. Therefore, in 1911, the
French authorities obtained from the gamblers at French
casinos the sum of £268,193. It is understood that, like
the receipts from the racecourses, all such revenue is to
be employed for social purposes that benefit the masses.

In England it is the betting on horse-racing, rowing,
football and cricket matches that needs the imposition of
a heavy tax. Above all the "cover" speculations on the
Stock Exchange and the " bucket shop " transactions
should be abolished altogether, or taxed at a prohibitive
rate. Roulette is absolutely honest and the brokerage
charged very moderate, but these speculations on
'Change are accompanied by multifarious forms of lying
and deception. They are in every sense more mischievous
and should be dealt with unmercifully.

Then, when we have heavily taxed what we cannot
suppress, we might enjoy in England some of the luxuries
which are the commonplace of everyday existence in
Monaco. There would be money to run theatres for the
sake of art and not for profit, to issue publications
because they are needed and not because they are likely
to have a profitable sale, to subsidise original research, to

THE POOR TAX ON GAMBLING 465

enlarge museums, to establish new chairs at the uni-
versities. These and many other things of local and
universal advantage are done in the principality because,
before anyone can gamble, provision is made that a part
of the proceeds shall be so employed.

Unfortunately many, it is to be feared most, of the
visitors to Monte Carlo do not realise this. They are too
busy doing nothing, for talking about roulette can scarcely
be considered an occupation. The treasures of art and
science are heaped up around them, but the only treasure
they perceive is the hard cash thrown on the tables.

Yet there is a minority, a growing minority, which
frequents the principality because they love Monaco and
the surrounding country. If anything could keep them
away it is the gambling and the talk of gambling. At best,
it is viewed as a necessary evil and endured because it is
a very easy and bountiful source of revenue. In any case,
no one in London refused to cross the first Westminster
Bridge because it was built from the proceeds of a lottery.
Nor would we to-day refrain from utilising the British
Museum because the libraries of Sir Hans Sloan, Sir
Robert Cotton and the Harleian, which formed the
nucleus of the British Museum, were all obtained by
lotteries. Mr Maberly Phillips, F.R.A., in a recent lecture
on the South Sea Bubble, explained that, from the reign
of Queen Elizabeth onwards, the spirit of speculation and
gambling has been utilised to raise revenue and the
English Government, between 1710 and 1795, obtained
£11,000,000 by that means. Since lotteries, however, have
been abolished, no one would desire to see them re-
established. The brilliant success of Monte Carlo must not
tempt us to provide increased facilities for gambling.
It does, on the other hand, suggest that better use might
be made of all the forms of gambling that survive, and
indeed abound, in this country. Let us tax what we have
not been able to prevent.

In the meanwhile, much better use might be made of
the advantages created at Monaco by the application of this

2g

466 MONACO AND MONTE CARLO

policy. Personally, and as an Englishman, I feel absolutely
humiliated when I watch the frivolous behaviour of my
fellow-countrymen at Monte Carlo. Sports, gambling,
scandal, what else do they talk about ? The German
gambles also. He is very fond of gambling and became
familiar with the games played at Monte Carlo when they
were allowed in his own country. But he also goes out with
a reference-book in one pocket and a notebook in the
other. He examines, he studies, and returns to his own
country with more knowledge than he had on leaving
home. He has brought wider experience and instruction
back with him and therefore is likely to be a more useful
member of the community to which he belongs.

As compared with the forty-five million inhabitants of
these islands, very few English men and women have the
means to visit the principality of Monaco. Those few who
can afford to go so far are indeed fortunate. But surely, if
they have actually visited this favoured centre of art,
science, sociology, where so many questions of universal
interest can be advantageously studied, they owe it to
the community from which they emerge to take back
with them such increase of knowledge as will prove they
were worthy of the privileges they enjoyed.

THE END

INDEX

INDEX

Accursi, Romeo, first distinguished
conductor of Monte Carlo
orchestra, 309

Agitation against the governor and
the prince, 228

Air ventilation, necessary amount
and velocity per head per
second, 328

Algeciras Treaty, the prince's
action, 145, 146

Altamira Caves of Spain, 212

America, gambling in, 279

Anthropological craftsmanship, 206,
207

Anthropological International Con-
gress at Monaco, 205

Anthropological research, new
methods established by the
prince, 204

Antoine, Fort, 88-89

Aquarium, 186

Archives of Monaco pubUshed for
universal use, 213

Armstrong, Miss Jane, the thirty-
year-old suicide story, 384,

385
Arsenic and oceanography, 158
Ash, Robert S., saves the aquarium,

198
Astronomy and religions, 25, 27
Aubert, Albert, of the Charivari,

founds first casino, 299

Baden-Baden, 281, 283

Bank shares, gambUngon, 276

Barbavera foresees defeat at

I'Ecluse, 59
Barma Grande explored by Prince

Albert, 204
Bamett, H. ViUiers, 163, 188, 424

469

Bastille, fall of ; Monegasques sup-
port revolution, 95

Bathymetrical researches, 157

Beauty, " Queens of Beauty,''
official reception, 446

Beer, Bavarian, Monaco brewery,
226

Bennet, Dr Henry, of Mentone, 203

Bergen, meeting of German and
French sailors, 147

Bernhardt, Sarah, sculpture by an
actress, 319

Blanc, Fran9ois, and his brother,
Louis Joseph, 283 ; obtains
gambling concession at Hom-
burg, 284 ; marries a descend-
ant of exiled Huguenots, 285 ;
buys the Monaco Casino Con-
cession, 305 ; death of, 310,
335 ; lends money to complete
Paris Opera, 311 ; theory on
the responsibility of wealth,
311 ; his genius missed, 330

— Madame, foresees suppression

of German casinos, 286 ; suc-
ceeds to the management, 310 ;
death of 335

— CamUle.appointed Chief Director,

334 ; insists on securing the
best in aU things, 427

Bombardment of Casino threatened,
340

Boule, Prof. Marcellin, organises
Monaco Museum of Anthropo-
logy, 205, 212

Boulogne a Ligurian Republic,

58

Bouree, Lieutenant, colour photo-
graphy of specimens, 156, 179

Bourgeois, Mons., new French
Premier, the prince and the
Kaiser, 146

Bretonnerie, Mons. Godineau de la,
architect of first Monte Carlo
casino, abandons the work, 303

470

INDEX

Breuil, Prof. H:, copies prehistoric

paintings, 211, 212
Brignole, Mademoiselle de, marries

Honore III., 92
— Catherine, separated wife of

Honore III., dies in London, 93
British Government behind time,

160, 162, 168
British Museum founded on the

proceeds of gambhng, 465
Brittany, War of Succession, 60
Broca, Prof ., at the Red Rock, 202
Brokerage on 'Change and at rou-
lette, 277
Bruce, David, escorted by Mone-

gasque fleet, 56
Buchanan, Prof. J. Y., 168, 170,

190
Budget Extraordinary, 129
Budgets of the principality, 128

Caesar, Augustus, battle trophy at
La Turbie, 38, 39

— Juhus, at Monaco, 38

Cafe du Soleil for penny gamblers,
301

Canossa, the road to, 218

Carisbrooke Castle alone resists, 65

Carnegie's diplodocus, Carnegie and
the Mentone troglodyte, 203

Camot pleads for the Prince of
Monaco, 97

Carr, R.N., Captain H, in com-
mand of prince's yacht, 154

Carthage, 36

Cartinac, Prof., prehistoric archaeo-
logy, 20s

Casier-Sanitaire, sanitary history
of each house, 249

Casino as a technique, 299

Casino failures at Monaco, 299,
300

Casino open to all once a year, now
closed, 350

Casino subventions, 335

Casino workmen march on Monaco,

303
Castles, prehistoric, n
Cavaillie-CoU decorates museum,

190
Cercle Prive, 325, 326

Challenger, the, 160, 177, 188
Charcot, Dr, the explorer, 177
Charlemagne, 41, 70
Charles V. of Spain visits Monaco, 76
Charles II. of England first to claim

a Civil List, 128
Childhood and gambhng, 258, 259
Choiseul - StainviUe, Fran9oise -

Therese, wife of Joseph Gri-

maldi, guillotined, 98, 99
Church and State, separation and

disendowment, 150
Cinematograph, substitute for

pigeon-shooting, 439
Civil List not needed, 128
Clairin's paintings, dance at the

theatre, etc., 317, 322
Claudine, heiress to the principaUty,

and affianced at the age of six.

Clubs and games, great need of,

349
Code Louis, 86

Colombe, ViUa, successful specula-
tion, 119
Colstoun, Admiral Brown de, 160
Communal or municipal life

abolished, 86
Concordat abolished, 1 50
Condamine violets for Rimmel's,

118
Conde, Prince de, marries widow of

Honore HI., 93
Congresses, International, held at

Monaco, 139
Constituent Assembly vote a

pension to the Grimaldis, 96
Constitution, the new, of Monaco,

232
Constitutional agitation, views of

the foreign colony, 233
Convicts render Monte Carlo fertile,

302
Council of State, constitution of,

. 232
Craig, Mr Gordon, on stage scenery,

437
Cr6cy, battle of, Charles Grmialdi

wounded at, 61
Crockford loses and gains, 272, 273
Cromwell, Mazarin obtains his help

and friendship, 82, 83
Cromwell, Oliver, seizes French fleet

in time of peace, 215

INDEX

471

Croupiers, honesty and tempta-
tions of, 348
Croupiers, salaries and pensions of,

353
Croupier's lesson to a prince, 388
Cruelty to animals, strict preven-
tion of, 248, 249
Crusades and Monegasque ships, 50
Ciif)enick, Captain, on dangers of

discipline, 341
Customs Union with France, 123-
124

D

Darnborough, Mr, great gains of, 288

d'Axncsano, iVLarquis, starts second
casino at Monaco, 300

Daval, third Monaco casino con-
cessionaire, 300

Death-rate, the Monaco, 399

Decadent sports, 442

Decorations of the Casino Theatre,

317, 318
Deep water exploration, 154-155
Demagogy, the prince's apprehen-
sions, 137
Destructor, the, prompt cremation

of household refuse by, 247
Detectives in hotels, 240
Directors of the Casino, 336
Disinfection, compulsory insurance,

248
Dogs, police dog contest, 446
Dog-show, 446
Domesday Book, 56
Domestic drainage, inefficient in-
spection of, 250
Dore, Gustave, sculpture by a

painter, 319
Dreyfus Affair and the prince, 148
Dukes, the Grand, Nicholas, Michael,

Serge, at roulette, 287
Dupuis, origin of cults, etc., 23
Dutrou, architect of the Salle
Mauresquc, 307

Edward III. sees C. Grimaldi carry
off his ships, 62 ; pays high
ransom for Rainier Grimaldi, 64

Electors, paucity of, 230
Elephants, primitive, 207, 208
EUzabeth, Princess of Homburg,

daughter of George III., 283
Elysee Alberto, first name of Monte

Carlo Casino, 303
Embassies as gambling hells, 267
Endowment of Oceanographic

Institute, 164, 165
English frigate attacks Monaco,

blows up powder magazine,

100- 10 1
Enghsh travellers unpopular, 381
Enriette, photographer, snap-shot

of prince's joke, 219
Enticus and St Devote, 29
Entrance cards to the gambling-
rooms, number issued, 372
E. O., the game of, 270
Examination, daily, inspection of

the roulettes, 363

Fallieres, President, opens Oceano-
graphic Institute, 175 ; colour-
photographed on palace terrace,
219

Farine, Theotime, police officer, 237

Fascicules, 158-159

Faure, Maurice, Minister of Public
Instruction, 177

Faure, President, French Republic
receives the prince an hour
before his death, 148

Faure, M., death of, 149

Fencing, 445

Feudal system and the fleet, 69

Finance, what the casino pays, 126,
127

Fine Arts Palace and Exhibition,

325
Fontenoy, battle of, 91
Food supply control, 249
Foreigners, hostility against foreign

tradesmen and financiers, 224,

228
Foreshore reclamation, Monegasque

objections, 229
Frdgose, Pomelline, Joan Grimaldi's

heroic wife, 72
Frey, Mons. Eugene, 434
Fuhrmcistcr, Adolphe, 156

472

INDEX

Gamblers, the actual numbers

admitted, 372
Ganne, Mons. Louis, 327
Garcia's extraordinary luck at

Homburg, 293
Gardeners, number employed, 412
Gardens, Casino, 407-422
Gamier, Charles, 313
Gatermoole, Mr, popular English

first violin, 430, 431
Gaumates. See St Devote, 30
Gautier, Armand, President of

Academy of Science, 178
George III. receives Honore III. at

court in London, g^
German invasion of the principality,

379
Geryon, 188

Glacial period on the Riviera, 209
Golf, 445

Government enterprise, 136
Green-rooms, the overcrowded, 254,

255
Grimaldi, Catalan, reigns three
years, 7^

— Charles, storms Southampton,

55 ; his letters in the archives,
214 ; wounded at Crecy, 61

— Giballin, 43

— Jean, prisoner of Duke of

Savoy, 72

— Lambert, of Antibes reigns as

the husband of Claudine, y^

— Jean II., killed by his brother,

74

— Lucien, murdered by his rela-

tions, 75

— Augustin, defeats his brother's

assassins, 76

— Augustin, objects to Spanish

protectorate and is poisoned,
76

— Honore I., succeeds at the age

of ten, 76

— Etienne, "Father Elect" to

Honore I., able administrator,

77

— Charles II. (1581), 77

— Honore II., beautifies the

palace, 78

— Hercules I., murdered in the rue

du Milieu, 78

Grimaldi, Louis I. (1662), intrigues
with exiled Stuarts, 82

— Antoine I. (1701), fortifies

Monaco, 88

— Louis-Hippolyte, reigns only

eleven months (1713), 90

— Honore III. (1733), Jacques I.

abdicates in his favour, 91

— Chevalier de, governs prin-

cipality for fifty years, 90,

91

— Honore-Gabriel, ser\'es with dis-

tinction under Grouchy and
Murat, 101-102

— Honore IV., at restoration is

too old to reign, 103

— Honore-Gabriel, appointed Re-

gent, meets Napoleon I.,

103

— Florestan I. (1841), 106

— Charles III. (1856), 107

— Florestan as an actor, 113, 114

— Florestine, sister of Charles

III., m. the Prince of Wurtem-
berg, 125

— Albert I., membre de ITnsti-

tut, 132; joins French Fleet
during Franco-German War, 133

— Albert, chapters viii. to xiv.

— Rainier, 51, 52 ; protests against

in London Record Ofiice, 214
Guelfs and Ghibellines fight for

Monaco, 45
Gulf Stream, 193
Gunsbourg, Monsieur Raoul, 173,

423
Gj-mnastics, 445

H

Hebe confers spring on Monaco, 26-
28

Hells, gambling hells in France
under Henry IV., 262 ; pro-
prietors branded and flogged,
267 ; the Duke of Buckingham's
favourite hell, 269 ; Crockford's
in St James's Street, 272 ;
Panton Street built with win-
ings from a Haymarket hell,
271

Henry IV., Emperor, general strike
against, 217

INDEX

473

Henry IV. of France as a gambler,

262
Henzal, Gaspard, father of Madame

F. Blanc, 285
Heraklean road, 49
Herakles, 21, 22, 23; Monaco and

the apples, 26
Hercules, port of Hercules, 25 ;

modem worship of, 187
Hesen, the Kurfsiirst von, provides

the first step to fortune, 288
Hippopotamus at Monaco, 206, 208
Htrondelle, No. I., 134
Hirondelle , No. II., 155
Historians at Monaco, special

attractions for, 216
Homburg, early struggles of, 283 ;

prosperity, 296 ; statistics of

visitors, 284, 290, 295, 296
Home Rule granted to Monaco by

Genoa, 45, 68
Hospital for the wealthy, the VUla

Albert, 252
Hostile demonstration at the palace,

228, 229
Huguenot colony and Franfois

Blanc, 285
Hunchbacks of the rue Quincam-

poix and Monte Carlo, 265
Hundred Years' War, 53
Hyeres, the first palm-trees, 417

Independence of Monaco, first

official record, 53
Industries of the sea, 196
Industries, naoney value of all, 227
Institute of Oceanography, text of

the offer made, 163
IphigSnie and Hohenzollern, 147
Isolation or fever hospital paying

wards, 252
Isolation of England, 5 1
ItaUan tradesmen, 225
Itahan invasion of the principaUty,

378. 379
Izard, Mons. E., 217

Jacques I., widower of Louise-
Hippolyte Grimaldi, abdication
of, 91

James II. of England, 88
Jehin, Leon, 169, 172, 175, 179
— Mons. Leon, chief leader of
orchestra and musical com-
poser, 431
Jewel robbery, 241
Joint stock and hmited companies

controlled, 138
Josephine, Empress, faithfully
served by Joseph Grimaldi,

IOI-I02

K

Kaiser, 144, 189

Keltic, Mr Scott, R.G.S., 174

Koester, Grand Admiral von, 172

Labande, Mons. L. H., the archivist,

21S
Labour, homage to, prince's speech,

171
Labouchere, the late Mr Henry, and

his system, 346
Lankester, Sir Ray, 212
Landmark, Garnier's towers, 316
Landowners, vast majority

foreigners, 23 1
Langlois, Napoleon, starts the first

casino at Monaco, 299
La Turbie Trophy, 38, 39
Law, John, 264
Lawn-tennis, 445
Lef^vre, Griois and Jagot, successors

to M. Daval, 303
Lemons, the trade in, 121
Lentheric, Charles, early history of

the Riviera by, 20-21
Leorenzi, Frederic, nine years' work

in the caves of, 205-206, 207
Liard, Dean of the Paris University,

178
Library, Municipal, 159
Lombards, 41

London gambling houses, 274
Losses counteracted, 390, 391
Louis XIII. confers great honours

on Honore II., 81
Louis XIV., godfather to Louis Is

of Monaco, 82
Luminous fish 156, 184, 189

474

INDEX

Lviminous stage effects, 434
Luminous water, 185

M

Macaroni, the Monaco manufactory,

226
Manufacturing enterprise, unsuit-

abUity of the principality for,

223
Maritime power, decline of Mone-

gasque navy, jy
Marriage, 230
Marseilles, Phocian origin, 34 ;

rivalry with Monaco, 36
Martel, Charles, 41
Martiny, A., director for exterior

services, 336
Mary Magdalene, 40
Mascottes, 462
Matignon family alliance with the

Grimaldis, 90
Maubert, L., director for the in-
terior services, 336
Maximum, the law of, applied to

bread and meat, 220
Mayhew, Horace, 292
Meat supply, public abattoirs, 248
Medecin, M., architect of the new

wing and concert-room, 326, 327
Medusa lustre at Museum, 189
Melkarth, 23, 24
Mentone placed under dukes of

Savoy, Ti
Milanese occupy Monaco, 72
Militarism and the Kaiser, 146
Mihtary intervention in case of riot,

230
MUk supply and control, 249
Minarets or steeples for a theatre,

316
Miracles and the climate, 27, 28
Mistral wind a boisterous friend, 244,

245
Moch, M. Gaston, 216
Monaco, surprise attack on behalf

of France in 1581, jj\ night

surprise attack on behalf of

Savoy, 78
Monks, origin of the monks on the

arms of Monaco, 46
Morocco crisis, 145, 146
Mosaics of the Monte Carlo theatre,

315. 316

Munster, Count von, 159
Murray, Sir John, 170, 177
Museum of Oceanography, its origin,

162
Myths, their historic value, 22

N

Naquet, Mons. Alfred, 456
Names, French and Italian, 123
Napoleon III. favoured Monte

Carlo, 273, 274 ; the opera and

the hospital, 312
Negroid man, 209
Nenot, architect of Oceanographic

Institute, 176, 177
New York, 86
Nice and Savoy given to France,

effect on Monaco, 107
Nursery rhymes on roulette, 296

Oceanography, 155, 157, 158, 159,

16s, 170, 185, 191, 192, 201
Operation, surgical, great success

at the Monaco hospital, 250,

251
Organisms in the sea-water and in

man, 201

Paintings, prehistoric, 210

Palace, entertainments at, 218,
219

Palaeontology, Institute of Human,
founded by the prince, 212

Palmaria, ramshackle steamer from
Nice, 304

Pascal, Blaise, supposed to have
invented roulette, 260, 261

Peace, International Peace Institute
at Monaco, 216; papal inter-
vention in favour of, 217

Pensions for musicians, 428

Peronne, Treaty of, re-establishing
French pretectorate, 1641, 79

Perrier, director of Paris Museum of
Natural History, 178

Phoenicians, 35

Photography, colour, 2ig

INDEX

475

Pichon, French Minister of Foreign

Affairs, 171
Pichot, Abbe, victim of Dreyfus

Affair at St Devote's, 150 ; the

pojjes and the prevention of

war, 217
Pickpockets, 235, 236
Pigeon-shooting, 440, 441
Pilfering, 357-358
Plague at Monaco, 163 1, 79
Plankton, and the origin of life, 19,

201
Pontevis, Jeanne de, wife of Lucien,

76
Pope, the, circular of, M. Jaures and

the prince, 151; the, and

President Loubet, 151
Population, decrease of Monegasque

inhabitants, 230
Popular resort projected, 351
Poverty and rebellion, 298
Prickly-pear instead of wire en-
tanglement, 89
Princesse Alice picture by Monch-

ablon at museum, 190
Prison, Honore III., and all the

Grimaldis in, 98
Prize fight between Anglo-French

champions, 439
Proctor, Richard A. brokerage

and Stock Exchange gambling,

227
Property owners, vast majority

foreigners, 231
Provence, claim over Monaco, 68
Puech, D., statue of the prince by,

189

R

Refail at irente-et-quarante a smaller
brokerage than the zero, 356

Regnard, Professor, 193

Regnault, Mons. F., archaeologist,
210

Rhinoceros of the Riviera, 203, 207,
208

Richard, Dr Jules, 156

Richeheu's pro-f^rotestant anti-
German unity policy, 81

Richet, Professor Charles, and the
Peace Party, 143

Riviere, the geologist at the Red
Rocks, 203

Roccabruna placed under the dukes

of Savoy, 73
Roman emperors at Monaco, 39
Rothschild, the late A. de, 382-383
Rouleaux of gold and of wood, 287
Roulette and the early Briton, 257 ;
the reaction against robbery,
260, 261 ; not the roulette of
Pascal, 261 ; the great Ency-
clopeedia and the prevention of
cheating, 262 ; nursery rhymes,
293 ; Les Voisins, 361 ; daUy
examination, 363 ; hfting ofi
the wheel and seeing inside,
364 ; the pivot and the deli-
cate part, 364 ; constructor's
drawing of the wheel, 365 ;
pretended tampering with the
wheel, 366 ; width of the
partitions and size of the
marble, 366 ; the central dome
defeats all manoeuvres, 367 ;
breaking the bank, amount held
in reserve, 369 ; bank broken
every day at Monte Carlo, 370 ;
and the Russian grand dukes,
386 ; royal players, 387; sacred
emblems at, 430
Rouvier's views presented to the

Kaiser by the prince, 145
Roux, Consfcmt, Grand Prix de

Rome, 189
Rye, naval battle won at, by Rainier
Grimaldi, 64

St Devote, 28-33

St George, Banner of England, 60

Sainte-Marie, M., chief organiser of

the orchestra, 427
Saint-Germain, Mons. Marie de,

305, 306
Sala, George Augustus, and his

system, 291
Santuola, M. de, discovers Alta-

mira cave, 210
Sardinia, protection of, 104 ; foments

discontent in the principality,

1 06
Sardou, Victoricn, 108
Sartincs, M. dc, celebrated prefect

who legalised gambling, 265,266

476

INDEX

Sanssure's researches at the Red

Rocks, 202
Science as the worship of Hercules,

23

Sea -water, its composition, 194

Seattle, U.S.A., gambling scandal,
279-280

Security, personal, one of the attrac-
tions of Monaco, 242, 243

Sereron, J., director for the finan-
cial department, 336

Sforza, Francisco, employs Jean
Grimaldi on the seas, 72

Shone system of drainage, 246,

331

Silver, the day to play \\dth, 454

Silver in the sea, 195

Simard, Joseph H., chief of the
police, 236

Skeleton, the first found in the
Mentone caverns, 203

Slaughter houses, private, pro-
hibited, 248

SnufE, 359

Society, 442

Sorbonne, the, 176

Spider, a spider as a guide at
roulette, 461

Sporting Club, 326, 357

Stables, constant inspection of,
249

State industries organised, 105

State socialism and Honore, 105

Statistics, criniinal, of the princi-
pality, 242

Stock Exchange gambling, 276

Strike, proposed international, 217

Succession, the Spanish, 87

Suffrage, universal, granted, 232

Suicides at No. 113 Palais Royal
and Frascati's, 268 ; of Lord
Montford and Sir John Bland,
271 ; Stock Exchange suicides,
278, 279 ; the one-suicide-a-
day legend, 393 ; gross ignor-
ance and incompetence in deal-
ing with vital statistics, 394 ;
late Bishop of Gibraltar's
action, 396 ; the Prince of
Monaco's explanation, 397 ;
suicide a rare cause of death,
398 ; Buckle on the regularity
of suicides, 399 ; the Monaco
death-rate, 399 ; analysis of

Suicides — continued

the suicides in 191 1, 400;
nationality, domicile and age
of the victims, 400, 401 ;
suicide rate per thousand
gamblers, 402, 403 ; suicide
rate per thousand non-
gamblers, 402, 403 ; excessive
prevalence of suicide through-
out the Riviera, 404 ; when
the casino prevents suicide,
404 ; number per thousand of
gamblers who commit suicide
and of sailors, miners and
railway servants who are killed ,
405, 406

Superstition, Buckle on supersti-

!f tion, 449

Suspects, Honore III. arrested
under the " law of suspects,"-
98

Tarot, the, 458

Taxation, agitation in favour of,
223. 233

Taxation, exorbitant, imposed by
Honore v., 104 ; abolished, 125,
126 ; indirect taxes, revenue
from, 127

Telephony, wireless, 155, 156

Texel, naval battle (1666), 84, 85

The Trente et Quarante conspiracy,
359, 360

Thermal establishment, 332, 333

Thieves, high-class and refined,
236, 238, 239

Tinayre, L., 157, 176

" Tips " to croupiers, 347, 348

Titles, Prince of Monaco's numer-
ous, 132

Titta-Ruffo, the baritone, as
Hercules, 175

TordesUlas, declaration of the
Spanish overlordship by, 76

Touzet Salle buUt, 323

Trade, retail, gambling tendencies,
224

Troglod>-te, 208

Tuberculosis, compulsory notifica-
tion and disinfection of, 248

Turbie Trophy blown up by the
French, 88

INDEX

477

u

Urach, Duke of, and Prince of
Wurtemberg marries Charles
III.'s sister, 125

Valdetare, Prince Regent, devoted

to Spain, 78
Van den Daele, chief gardener, 409
VanderbUt and family, 384
Veille, Pointe de la, the woman in

white and the Duke of York,

92-93
Ventilation, mechanical and scien-
tific, of paying part of Casino,

327
Vemeau, Prof., 205
Victoria, Empress Frederick, of

Germany, redeems the orange-
trees, 290
Villeneuve, Chanoine L., director

of Anthropological Museum,

205, 210
Violence, scarcity of crimes with,

242
Visconti, Mons., stage property and

scenery department, 433
Vizetelly, 292
Voltaire on Monaco's prince at

Fontenoy, 91

W

Water cisterns, inspection and
danger of, 250

Water-supply, ozone and ultra-
violet rays, 249

Waterloo, battle of, disastrous efiect
on Monaco, 104

Whales, 191

White Terror, the, 102

Wicht, Frederic, general director,

336
Wight, Isle of, seized and ransomed
by French and Monegasques,

65
WiUiam of Provence, 43
Wurtemberg Royal family allied

to the Grimaldis, 125

York, Duke of, brother of George
III., dies in the palace at
Monaco, 93

Zierikzee, Flemish fleet defeated
by Rainier at, 278

fRINTBD BV THE RIVERSIDE PRESS LIMITED
EDINBURGH

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY

Los Angeles
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.

8EP16t96S

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